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Switch written by young people for young people
ISSUE 7
Cover Photographer Slippery Photography
Model Eloquent Mx Loki
MUA Miss Cee Make-up
Dress Owl Nest Crafts
Editorial
Editor
Gabe Rule, Bridget McGivern
Deputy Editor
Alastair McGibbon
Sub-Editor
Linn Ahlvik
Designer
Julian Grant
Photographer
Natalie Evans
Editorial Committee
Lauren Allchin, Adrian Aloi, Jessica Dickers, Natalie Evans, Julian Grant, Alastair McGibbon, Bridget McGivern, Gabe Rule, Amanda Sherring, Kim Sinnott, and Hannah Teesdale
Production Services
Adcell Media
Thanks
City of Greater Geelong, & Adcell Media.
CONTENT
Well hey there! It’s been a while, we know, but rest assured that whenever you don’t hear from us, we’re squirreled away in our respective homes, working on the latest issue! We’ve got a hell of a line up this time around – we’ve got a cracker of a short story about a modern-day Frankenstein, for one – and we’ve done our best to ferret around the cosy corners and less-travelled roads of Geelong to track down the best and brightest cafes and done the oh-so-hard work of trying them out for you. We’ve also had a chat to one of Geelong’s up-and-coming musicians – who? Well, we’re not going to spoil the surprise for you – go and have a read for yourself! As always, we want to extend our everlasting gratitude to the City of Greater Geelong for their support in making this magazine a reality. Now, go and enjoy yourself – this mag’s been a hell of a lot of fun to make, and we hope you have as much fun reading it!
The Switch team
Content
Page 3 Values
Page 4 Q&A
Page 5 Image “Sexting” Debate
Page 6 Sweet Abomination
Page 9 Juice Cleanse
Page 11 King Of The Castle
Page 12 Freckleduck
Page 13 Kilgour St Cafe
Page 14 Middle Class
Page 15 After Dark
Page 16 Copying
Page 17 Gili Trawangan
Page 18 Island Bound
Page 20 Smith St Band
Page 20 Ronin
Page 21 Blood Song
Page 22 Join Switch
ESSAY
VALUES, GET THEM RIGHT!
WORDS KURT VILLAFUERTE PHOTOGRAPHER NATALIE EVANS
“The only way you can justify someone’s value is when you give freely and not expect to receive anything in return.”
It’s common for us to hear wise people suggesting that you can only know something’s worth when you lose it. Others argue that we knew exactly what it’s worth, we just didn’t think we’d lose it. It’s not surprising for people to have varying opinions of value. After all, we all value differently. Some of us are better at it than others.
As much as I hate it, I suck at understanding my values. I cannot decide if I should focus on what’s important to me or what’s important to my family. Knowing that they love me, I understand that whatever I find important, they do too. However, what if you value something that they do not agree with? Keeping that value may be seen as a sign of rebellion and losing it just to satisfy your parents is dishonesty to oneself. It’s a lose-lose situation and you can’t really come away with any positive out of it. But what if your parents were right? Maybe they don’t want you to value something because they know that you’re only deceived by this value of yours. It’s not really important to you no matter how much you think otherwise. It’s much like an infatuated value. It comes, it passes.
Perceived values, especially of other people can be detrimental to success in life. You become fully convinced that if you make all the sacrifices for their sake, then they will definitely repay you accordingly for all the good things that you have done for them. That is not value for another. That is value for oneself. The only way you can justify someone’s value is when you give freely and not expect to receive anything in return.
Like all things such as love and respect, most people believe that value has to be mutual. If it was, then people would either be forced to value someone reluctantly or refrain from valuing someone they really do just because that person doesn’t value them back. Value doesn’t have to be reciprocated to be genuine. Think of it as a helping hand. A helping hand cannot help another helping hand. Do not expect anything in return. Given someone a job? Get a job yourself. Made someone successful? Be successful yourself. Value them and yourself. Do not value what you think they owe you because they do not owe anyone anything. Obligation is an excuse made up by selfish people. It must not be valued.
Value can also be affected by honesty. I once had a friend. I told her that she was the 9th most valuable person in my life when really I felt like she was the 1st because my bliss depended on her. I cared about the world when I was with her. But I knew she wouldn’t handle the truth very well so i lied to her for months. I lied to myself. That should have been a lie that I kept long enough for it to soon become the truth but it wasn’t. I eventually confessed and there could never be a more regretful decision. I lost her.
Sometimes we have to know when to cash out. When we value someone that much, we shouldn’t go all in on them unless we’re extremely sure of the outcome. And remember, we can lie about our values if it’s the only way to keep them. Choose your values wisely however, and don’t take them for granted, they won’t be around forever.
Q & A
Noah Vernon
singer & songwriter
Interviewer Lauren Allchin
Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with my good friend — and an extremely talented musician — 18-year-old Noah Vernon to discuss all things musical.
: Do you remember the moment that you realised you wanted to be a musician? If so, what made it stand out?
NV: The first time I realized I wanted to be a performer was when I first watched my big sister singing at one of her concerts. At the time I was 7 years old. It was so mesmerizing to see somebody that I know and love so much just giving it her all. She loved entertaining people with her music and so do I.
L: What was your first proper experience on a stage like for you? Were you nervous?
NV: My first real experience on stage was when I sang in front of my primary school in the musical we were working on at the time. The song that I performed was ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus. I still look back at it and cringe a little knowing that I chose that particular song, but I smile because I remember it being a very happy moment for me.
L: Have you performed locally? If so, where?
NV: I have performed at quite a few venues around Geelong, but my favourite place by far would have to be Beav’s Bar. It has a really cool acoustic vibe that is not only perfect for local bands, but it’s a particularly good place for acoustic solo artists like myself.
L: What kind of genre/style of music do you play predominantly? Who are some artists that influence you musically?
NV: It’s kinda hard for me to define my style of music, as I play a lot of different styles. I’d say my favourite music to play is acoustic pieces. I get a lot of my inspiration from artists such as Lewis Watson, Ed Sheeran, Cody Simpson, Saint Raymond, and — one of my personal favourites — James Bay!
L: What do you hope to achieve by the time you are 20 years old?
NV: The one thing that I hope to achieve by the time I am 20 is to have recorded an album and the dream is for it to reach the charts. It’s a very competitive industry so I have my fingers and toes crossed!
L: When you do break into the music industry (I know you will!) would you keep your real name? Or would you go by a stage name?
NV: (Laughing) I believe if I were to make it big I would always want to remain being known as ‘Noah Vernon’. I think I would suck at thinking of a creative stage name!
L: Now Noah, we all know that everybody sings in the shower on the odd occasion (or every single occasion possible), so what are your favourite shower tunes to belt out?
NV: I do occasionally sing a song or two in the shower, but I MUST be home alone. One of my personal favourites would have to be ‘Lay Me Down’ by Sam Smith because come on — who could reach those high notes without the help of a bathroom echo?
L: Where can people find your work?
Keep your ears and eyes open for an EP sometime soon! That is my main priority at the moment, as well as getting some gigs around Geelong. You can also find my music online SoundCloud, Facebook and Youtube under the name Noah Vernon.
ESSAY
THE IMAGE “SEXTING” DEBATE
WORDS AMANDA SHERRING PHOTOGRAPHER JULIAN GRANT
“Over 500 Australian women’s photos were plastered over the internet, exposing the most intimate versions of themselves to millions of eyes when they were only intended for one person.”
Yes, sending a naked picture of yourself to a long-term partner or one time lover is risky business, but regardless of whether you click ‘send’ or not, there’s nothing about that action that gives permission for the receiver to then share it with the world. Unfortunately, that’s just what happened earlier last year — over 500 Australian women’s photos were plastered over the internet, exposing the most intimate versions of themselves to millions of eyes when they were only intended for one person.
While there is an element of blame passed onto the men (men being a generalisation of course), the majority of the attention is focused on accusing the creator of the image: “How could they be so stupid?” “What were they thinking?” “They should know better!” “Serves them right!”
This victim blaming is something that occurs without fault and it’s something that feminist writer Clementine Ford reacted to after witnessing a case of victim blaming on Channel 7 breakfast show Sunrise’s Facebook page. The post allegedly asked fans “What’s it going to take for women to get the message about taking and sending nude photos?”
Ford took to social media posting a topless picture of herself (cropped above the nipples due to image restrictions) with harsh words for the breakfast morning show.
As Ford so aptly wrote in the post accompanying the photo, “Consent is everything”. If we were to look at the issue another way — say if we shared a deeply embarrassing secret with a dear friend and that friend were to share the secret over social media — who is to blame? The person for trusting their friend with the secret (as they so rightly should be able to) or the friend for leaking such personal information, in turn embarrassing them and bullying them in a roundabout way on social media? The only reason sexting is seen as such a tricky issue to pinpoint the blame is because of the raunchy sexualised nature of the content; it’s intimate, it’s more than just a little secret and it’s something society often struggles to deal with.
What’s important to realise as well is that in blaming these women for sending these images to men who shouldn’t be trusted, there are many instances where their trust is 100 per cent valid. In a world where technology is a cornerstone to our everyday life, we also have to deal with what also comes with it: the chance of being hacked, phones being stolen or even just the phone generally falling into the wrong hands. In the debate over sexting and nude images, it’s not all black and white.
So while there is a small amount of blame placed on the “men” for sharing these images in spite, disproportionate blame is placed on the women for taking the images to begin with, even though they have all the right in the world to use and display their bodies however they see fit. To say that men are the only ones who are vilified in this scenario isn’t really accurate — especially when most of society’s (and the media’s) initial response is to question the reasoning behind creating the image in the first place. I for one want to live in a world where I can share my love for my significant other in any way I like — if that involves sending a nude image, then so be it.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexting, call your local Police or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
ESSAY
SWEET ABOMINATION
WORDS ADRIAN ALOI PHOTOGRAPHER JULIAN GRANT
Date: 26/05/2015
Police log number: 2015-5-26-151-LM
This report was transcribed from recordings taken from the crime scene at 183 Shinningham Road.
My name is Isabel.
I am recording this to document my findings and success within my experiments. It is not a confession, or some sort of admittance of guilt. It is simply facts; facts that — as a scientist — I feel obliged to record, to share with the world. It’s not for my own glory or wealth; that matters little in the grand scheme of things.
Firstly, you need to know what has led me up to this point.
All my life, I was groomed by my mother. I was told I would understand what it was like when I had a child of my own. But when it was time to try, I found out I was barren; I was never going to have my own child. I had spent my life being groomed to be a mother, now however it seemed it was nothing more than a waste of time. A life spent to achieve a goal — now failed. No, if I could not have it naturally, then I would make it happen for me.
Science became my new calling as I dove into chemistry, anatomy, biology and the occult sciences. Sifting through ancient tomes and the so-called dark sciences, I found my answer. I found the cure for my problem, an ancient myth that turned out to be reality — Dr Frankenstein. While thought to be a myth, in my research I had found out that a myth he was not. In his time he was condemned, shunned and hated for the work he had made, shunned for the fact that he had what it took to gaze behind the curtain of the world. The troglodytes had tried to destroy his world, but they had missed something: a book, with no more than a few scribbles in the headers of the pages. But it was enough; it was enough for me to recreate the formula. While Frankenstein had been confused, chaotic and in the end insane, I was not. I knew what I was doing — I knew what it was I was trying to make.