Scritti Politi

The 'Cow Pain Manifesto'. Graffiti. Newtown Park, Sydney. February, 2005.

I love this piece of graffiti, even though it pisses me off that people deface public property in this way (in this case the sandstone wall that seperates my local park from the cemetary).

The lunacy and left-of-centreness of these sentiments crack me up. I mean a fruit forest, without any electricity to run my juicer? I think not, 'mkay?

I like to imagine the author standing there, paint brush in hand, with the following internal dialogue:

Now, is that cow's pain or cows' pain?... of screw it, who's going to care?!

Well, I think we all know the answer to that one. Although free life, that one sounds kind of good.

Link Love

Today, being Wednesday, I'm rocking the following linkage:

Using Aussie blogs to do a bit of surfing around my old home town of Adelaide. Eh, Adelaide? First things first, here's a city centre map.

Digging The Adelaide 'Alleys and Side Streets' Project, a curious and wonderful photoblog of the alleys and sidestreets of Adelaide.

This is a project of Sparrow, and Adelaide blogger who has a blog called Flight Of The Sparrow.

On a more global scale, I've been reading a lot of Indian weblogs lately and especially photoblogs. (I mentioned at least one of them previously, and talked about some others here.) So I happened across a newish blog from a local girl and was surprised to find one of the weblogs in her links list was an Indian photoblog I like, none other than Deepak G. Two degrees of seperation? Interweb, thou art always a surprise.

Boom Crash Opera

Rainy day lily. February, 2005.

Last night we had a tropical storm of epic proportions, a regular boom crash opera as one of my favourite expressions goes. As I write this another storm is rolling in, and it's dark as twilight and I can hear the thunder in the distance. It was so noisy with torrential rain and thunder last night that I hardly got any sleep, but this morning the garden was looking well quenched after the heat of the past few days.

I love storms. When I was a kid I used to stand on the front verandah and watch them with my mum, although we didn't get as many electrical storms in Adelaide as we do in Sydney, which is more tropical. Here comes the rain again.

Colour Me Surprised

Surprising recent events and things I have learned:

On Saturday morning when I was all on my lonesome at the Buddhist centre and waiting for the other volunteers to show, I opened the door to two door knocking Jehovah's Witnesses. If the fact that we actually had a pleasant chat wasn't surprising enough, the big surprise came when they stopped just short of calling me an idolator. Restraint.

Sitting in my bathrobe until lunchtime on the interweb is not getting me a job, but the seeds of laziness are bearing fruit on this website. Or something.

On a three hour car journey June Tabor is waaaaaay more boring to listen to than Emmylou Harris. The surprise? Someone makes Emmylou Harris sound interesting.

Having been told by my flatmate* that Dave came second on The Biggest Loser (yes, because I read US blogs I already know who wins), it was a pleasant surprise last night to see him get cut. How much do I love the dramatic ritual of the turning off of the refrigerator? Genius.

*Flatmate = Aussie slang for room mate. It makes more sense too, I mean we don't share a room. Ewww.

Monday Linkfest

Today, being Monday, I'm meandering my way through the following:

Showing my compassion for my Northern Hemisphere friends by reading Notes From A Blizzard Shut-In on McSweeney's. (Need I remind you guys it's Summer here? Heh, heh.)

We don't get snow in Sydney, so making a snowman is something I've never been able to do. Although I could manage this, you know, if I wanted to.

Have a taste for the bizzaro? Like ugly web design? How about JustGourds.com?

I've never seen the product, but I love the web design of the Oral Fixation Mints company. [Warning: very Flash-ey and slow to load on dial-up, but worth it.] I need to find some of those Mojito flavoured mints!

The designers of that website are also the guys behind other interesting websites such as Understanding Vorn and 10 x 10.

Still with my design nerd hat on, I also love the information maps and quirky Travel Time map created by the same guys. Very sobering, the weapons map.

Tchotchke Central

I'm not a huge fan of ornaments, tchotchkes or gewgaws. To paraphrase Edina Monsoon from this episode of AbFab:

"I want clean lines and surfaces, darling. I don't want things, on places. Clear! Clear!!"

My idea of hell would be a house full of this, or even worse this.

But having said that, I find these Mouseion Collection by Parastone figurines based on famous artworks oddly appealing. Especially the Bosch, Klimt and Dali figurines. (Not that I would ever buy the little dust collectors of course, but I think for the most part they have done a nice job of translating the images to 3D.)

[Link to Bosch figurines originally via Things Magazine.]

Chicken Little Is A Little Chicken

This week's Photo Friday theme is 'Youth'.

One thing I am not going to do, is hang around taking photos of youths... for that my friend is how one can get oneself into a whole mess of trouble. So rather than get labelled a Chicken Hawk, here's a children's ride-on chicken instead.

Neat segue, huh?


Ride-on chicken. Children's playground, Newtown. January, 2005.

Savage Beauty

[Apologies for the poor picture quality of the following pictures, I was shooting without a flash in low light.]

I just got back from the Vivienne Westwood restrospective exhibition that I mentioned on Friday. Oh. My. GOD! We drove three hours each way from Sydney to Canberra to catch the last day of the exhibition, and I'm so glad we did. It was amazing. Much bigger than I expected, with 150 complete outfits, along with accessories and audio-visual presentations.

The exhibition covered her early years of punk, fetish and rockabilly styles, but my main interest was in her work from the time of the hugely successful 'Pirates' clothing collection at the start of the 80's (which helped thrust 'New Romantic' or 'Blitz' stylings into the limelight) and onwards to today. I have a really strong interest in fashion in general, but I particularly have a huge interest in the history of clothing. What I love about Westwood from the 80's onwards is how she has mined the history of fashion for ideas, cuts, techniques and silhouettes but managed to put them together into something new and beautiful, filtered through her amazing eye and sense of humour.

[More of Westwood's 80's collections, including the famous Buffalo Gals look of the 'Nostalgia of Mud' collection, can be found here.]


Swing back suit and 'Booze' suit (L). 30th January, 2005.

For example the grey suit above called 'Booze' is beautiful in style and technique, but I love the humour of calling a suit which is an homage to Christian Dior's 'New Look' by the name 'Booze', when the first 'New Look' suite by Dior was called 'Bar'. Westwood is showing us her humour, naming her references, indicating the subversive elements she relishes and putting her working class cards on the table.

Westwood has stated that she feels she is reacting to, and helping to provide an antidote to, blandness and conformity in fashion. Sure, not all of the clothes are wearable in an everyday setting, but many are and most of the rest would make striking 'special occasion' clothes. These pics only have some of the more historically influenced styles, by way of examples.


Garments from the 'Pinked, Slashed & Pulled' collection (L) and 'Watteau' style gowns (R). January 30th, 2005.

There were too many amazing looks to really detail here, but I loved the direct and oblique references to literature, art and fashion history. The men's denim suit above which pays homage to the styles and clothing techniques of the late German Renaissance and Elizabethan era for example, or the huge ballgowns and harlequin suits which reference the paintings of Watteau. I guess what I love is the intellect that she puts into fashion, along with the beauty.

I know I'm gushing, but this was a great exhibition and it really opened my eyes to the range of a designer that I thought I already knew a lot about. Fantastic, a day well spent.

Slow On The Uptake, But I Get There In The End

I'm frequently slow to join the party. Years after everyone else, I got my first mobile 'phone. About 4 months ago I got a DVD player. iPod, not even on the horizon my friend. Harry Potter, read him first when everyone was on book four. Green is the new black, I'm still on black (ok, maybe brown).

To add to that list, I have just dicovered Witold Riedel and his beautiful words and pictures. One of the things he is famous for are his The Bear pictures, adventures in scale and emotional nuance with a tiny 2.5cm bear.

Oh and if you have never heard of Witold, well thanks, that makes me feel much better.

Friday Hit List

Today, being Friday, I'm into an odd assortment of stuff:

Ginger Chews. So gingery! So Chewy!

Perfect steamed rice. For once, truth in advertising. So perfect! So steamy! So... ricey! (OK I'm stopping now.)

I'm also into Nestle 'Alpine Blend' drinking chocolate, but I Googled 'Nestle' and got about a hundred Boycott Nestle! sites. So let's not go there, shall we?

Just to show it's not all about food, I'm digging beautiful women and drop-dead gorgeous divas.

Listening to PaulMac's fantastic 2001 release 3000 Feet High, especially the wonderful 'dumpee' song Just The Thing, and the best ever 'dumper' song The Sound Of Breaking Up. [Samples can be downloaded here.]

The hilarious T-shirt design you can download from Paul's site.

No, there's been no dumpee or dumper action in my life of late, just enjoying the PaulMac nostalgia.

On the subject of which, I'm also musing on how nice the Paul behind PaulMac is. I was introduced to him once at a local pub once. Sweet and friendly.

Eclectic, much?

Weekend Plans

I've been making plans for a busy weekend this weekend.

Saturday I'm leading a team of volunteers to completely spring clean the Buddhist Centre I attend in preparation for Losar, or the Tibetan New Year which is on Wednesday, February 9th. (A good explanation of Losar is here, but the dates mentioned relate to last year.) I'll be putting on a light lunch for all the volunteers and we'll be cleaning the place from top to bottom. It should end up being a fun day, even with the toilet scrubbing...

(I've posting on here quite a bit about the volunteer work I've been doing, which I hope isn't getting boring for you gentle reader, but I guess that's because I've been enjoying it so much. I's been a great way to contribute to the centre that I feels gives me so much, and it has also turned out to be a great way to meet other people around the centre and develop a real feeling of kinship. I'm liking it!)

Sunday I'm off to our nation's capital Canberra, to see the last day of the Vivienne Westwood exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia. It's roughly a three hour trip each way, but it should be worth it. I love her stuff! I can't wait. Woot! It looks at this stage like it'll be my friends John & Judy, myself and possibly Mikey.

Vivienne Westwood is famous for helping re-introduce corsetry into fashion, and I've been helping to teach Judy how to make a corset to use for historical costuming. So it should be fun to have a look at Westwood's interpretation of corsets in particular.

Constructively Using My Time

Must. Get. Job. Must. Not. Watch. So. Many. Bollywood. DVDs.


$5 Bollywood DVDs. January, 2005.

All Praise The TIO.

Last week I received a strange and unsettling invoice for $69.50 from a telecommunications company, supposedly for having accessed a pay-per-view website. Now, I'm no angel, and I do admit to [ahem] maybe having, you know by accident, once or twice, viewed skanky porn sites... but I knew for sure that I had not knowingly accessed a pay-per-view site. I mean, frankly I'm both kinds of cheap and certainly wouldn't pay for anything I could find free elsewhere.

Soooo, I did a bit of surfing on the interweb super highway net and went to the telecom company's website. They had all sorts of crap on there about how the charges were likely incurred, including the helpful suggestion that even if you thought you didn't access a pay-per-view site you probably once clicked an 'OK' or 'Enter' button without reading the fine print (which I guess was probably hidden somewhere in transparent 4 point font most likey), or the even better suggestion that maybe someone broke into your house to use the internet, because people do that.

I figured I would get nowhere talking to these guys and they seemed very suspicious to me, so at my room mate's suggestion I sought out the site for the Australian Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). The TIO handles all complaints against telecom companies in Australia. I spoke with a lovely chap called Bryan (who also sounded vaguely hot) and they sent a letter off to the telecom company on my behalf.

Not surprisingly I received a letter two days later from the telco to say they had dropped the charges and would bar my phone line from the site, so that I could not incur further charges. Fine with me guys, bar away.

Bryan and the TIO, I love you guys! Kisses!

Recapping

Ho-kay. So here's a quick recap of the past couple of days, in eccentric order and in my much beloved bulleted list form:

Tired, tired, tired... 3 out of the past 4 days have seen me loading and unloading trucks full of stuff, moving and setting up chairs, setting up and then pulling down a temporary bookshop. Physical labour, I'm just not made for it people.

Despite the tiredness, I'm very glad to have participated and it was fantastic to see so many people enjoy the teachings and feel like they took away something to think about.

Last night the teacher Ven Sangye Khadro gave a beautiful teaching called 'Awakening A Kind Heart', and today she leaves Sydney to finish the rest of her Australian tour.

I've bitten the bullet, swallowed that bitter pill, name a cliche about pride and I've done it, and gone ahead and started applying for any old job I can do and not just the ones I want to do.

I still think my initial job strategy would have worked, but I'd probably be bankrupted by the time I got there.

Today is Australia Day, which in addition to anything patriotic is also the anniversary of my father's death and my nephew's birthday. Band standing by and cue 'Circle of Life'.

Again With The Tiles!

The other day I posted about the decorative tile panels that many of the older cottages and terrace houses in my neighbourhood still have, and how much I like them. Here is a more unusual panel, given that it is made up of sort of a mish-mash of tiles from the era.


Decorative tiles, Newtown. January 20th, 2005.

I'm pretty sure that the tiles all date from the original time frame, and are not reproductions, but this panel is unusual in that it looks kind of amateur and lacks the plaster 'frame' around the tiles that most of these panels have. Two of the tiles at the top are even laid sideways to fit the space. I'm pretty sure that this panel was put up a long time ago though, because the house itself is a little bit run down and looks like it hasn't been renovated in many years. Maybe the original owners of this house decided to add a panel themselves?


Detail of various decorative tiles. January 20th, 2005.

All the tiles have a very 'art nouveau' to early 'art deco' look to them and are of the slightly bas-relief style, where the colours are different glazes that have been poured into the areas created by the raised edges of the design. I love these sorts of tiles.

Happy Exhausta-ma-pation

Phew, Friday through Sunday was very tiring but I had an amazing time; learnt a lot from the teacher and other students, made some new friends and generally had a productive and enjoyable time.

It all started at 8am on Friday with cleaning and preparing the bedroom for Ven. Sangye Khadro to use for the weekend, then from 10 until 6pm we were trekking everything to the hall, setting up the hall, bookshop and information tables. The meditation talk finished at 9pm and I was home by after 10.

Saturday kicked off at 8am again with collecting more stock for the centre's bookshop (sales were incredible) then making sure the hall was ready for 9am registrations and the 10 o'clock start. Then the day was a full programme of talks, guided meditations, and questions, and I was working the bookstall during all the breaks, with a 5pm finish.

Afterwards I caught up with Mikey and we went to see the Lord of the Rings exhibition of props and costumes at the Powerhouse Museum and then had a bite to eat back at his place. I was almost falling alseep into my food, so I headed home and was in bed about midnight.

Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday, although we had to completely dismantle the hall at the end of the day and transport it all back to the centre. By the time I got home at about 7.30 last night I was ready for a shower, some food and bed.

Highlights of the course were definately:

The fantastic teachings and presence of Ven Sangye Khadro, she absolutely radiates kindness, joy and sharp intellect

The interested and motivated crowd who attended, many of whom were new to meditation and Buddhism

Having a chance to sit in stillness with so many other meditators

Meeting other new dharma students and centre volunteers

Seeing the thirst for knowledge that so many people had, and consequently selling lots of great Dharma books and giving away lots of the free texts

Jacko, the beautiful dog that one of the students rescued from wandering on the busy main road, and who came and sat with us while we waited for his owners to come and collect him

All in all a great weekend.

Volunteering

The next few days are all about a flurry of volunteering. Today I'm off to do some more cleaning at the Buddhist centre, where I'm now the centre care co-ordinator. This isn't as onerous as it might sound; I do some cleaning, chat with the lovely office staff, and get a sense of having helped keep the centre running smoothly.

Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday I'm volunteering as a facilitator for a 'How To Meditate' workshop to be taught by Ven. Sangye Khadro (Kathleen MacDonald). (Here's an example of one of her meditations.) As a volunteer I get to attend the course, which I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford at the moment. I actually offered to help out without realising that I could attend, so it turned into a win-win situation! I'm really looking forward to attending this as her book is a favourite of mine and one of the texts used in the course I'm doing.

Good times!

Truth In Advertising?

I saw this amusing sign yesterday, just a few doors up from the house where I snapped the hibiscus below. Given that Photo Friday's theme for this week is 'Signs' I might just go ahead and enter it, for tomorrow they'll be moving on to a new theme.


House sign, Newtown. 19th January, 2005.

Gorgeous

I saw this huge hibiscus flower peeping over a neighbour's fence yesterday. I love hibiscus flowers, and their extravagant beauty. They are truly some of the biggest show offs of the flower world.


Beautiful yellow hibiscus. 19th January, 2005.

Decorative Tiles

Most of the narrow back streets of my suburb of Newtown are lined with small single story cottages, or two story terrace houses. Many of these date from the time of Queen Victoria and the 'Arts & Crafts' era, and are rich in decorative detail. Fortunately, many of the homes escaped 'modernisation' during the 60's and 70's when Newtown was a comparatively down-at-heel inner city area, and since the 80's and onwards the suburb started to go through a renewal and many of the home owners kept the original details intact.


Decorative tiled panel, Newtown cottage. 18th January, 2005.

In particular I love these decorative tile panels that are frequently found on the front of these homes, like this one they are often used as a panel between the two front windows. Sometimes the same sorts of tiles are use to line the front edges of steps also.


Decorative tile detail. 18th January, 2005.

These tiles are some of my favourites, and I especially like their slightly quasi-Medieval style. To me the tile above seems to refer to the Medieval 'mille fleurs' often seen in illuminated manuscripts or the backgrounds of tapestries, such as the famous Lady & The Unicorn tapestries, where small clumps of flowers and leaves dot the background.


Decorative tile detail. 18th January, 2005.

These tiles are in great repair, unfortunately the same can't be said for all of them. Quite a few have been removed, or even worse painted over. A house in the next street over from me, which is now derelict, had bas-relief decorative tiles which at some point have been painted over in very 80's looking pastel coloured paints. Fortunately though, there are still good examples like these.

Wednesday Link-O-Rama

In celebration of the fact that I'm sitting at my computer unshaved and in my dressing gown, I bring you some stylish linkage:

70's street fashion by Ossie Clark and others at C20 Vintage Fashion

The gorgeous new book about the 60's and 70's stylish juggernaut that was Biba; fashion label, lifestyle and eventually grand department store

Mourning the fact that Pari, owner of the world's foremost collection of Biba fashion and collectibles, and supplier of most of the items in the above book, seems to have let her domain expire. [Check back and see if she renews, because her website has a fabulous amount of Biba clothes and info.]

The wonderful historical fashion collections of the Met and the Kyoto Costume Institute

Loving the easy to use, and comprehensive, fashion pages of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

I draw the line though at making my own swimwear and posing pouches, like StitchBoy and friends

Site Updates By The HTML Challenged

I'm on a roll, not only did I get the picture posting thing to work (actually not that hard) but I've also been tinkering with the Blogger template I'm using to add some new sidebar goodies, such as a rather unique feature I like to call links.

Next on the agenda, trying a suggested hack to override the requirement that you need a Blogger registration to leave a comment. That one looks a tad trickier though. There is cutting and pasting involved, and actual deleting of existing html and everything. Very scary.

Can I just say, I added a site meter and now I'm obsessed with watching the little bugger tick over. Thankfully I saw that I could get it to ignore visits by me, otherwise that counter would be at least triple what it is now. I know, sad.

This Makes Me Angry

"Mr Curtis said entire sections of the city had been flattened and covered with gravel, paving stones that had survived 2600 years had been crushed by military vehicles, and decorative bricks around the celebrated Ishtar Gate had been cracked and dislodged by people who had tried to prise them out of the wall."

Something new to add to a war crimes tribunal list, US crimes against archeology.

The Truth Will Set You Free

I'm as sensitive to the pain of relationships break-ups as anyone, but if you want to find out the truth about Brad & Jen then check out this hilarious animated gif.

Check it out, before the lawyers get to it.

[Link via Defamer.]

More Newtown Public Art

As I mentioned last week, my suburb of Newtown is blessed with some really cool public art. A couple of years back I took these pictures of some murals which are tucked away in one of the back lanes of Newtown*. I'm happy to say that the murals are still there, and haven't been defaced with graffiti.

I don't know who's work this is, but I think these murals are really sweet. Sure, it isn't great poetry or anything, but the combination of the text and pictures I find really charming. I also like the fact that you have to sort of accidently stumble on these to know they are there.


The Goddess goes searching. Newtown, Sydney, 2003.

"The beautiful goddess leaves home to find the man of her dreams."

The Goddess finds true love. Newtown, Sydney, 2003.

"While the goddess found rare men who matched her list, none were "Mr Right". So she journeyed home from where she had taken flight. There she found a man she had missed, and she forgot her list, for he was charming and true. In his eyes she was always beautiful, and so true love grew."

* In the old days the lanes were used to collect 'night soil', yup there was no sewerage in the neighbourhood so the toilets at the bottom of each garden had a pail which was collected each day. I know, gross. Consequently almost every house has a street front and a rear lane access - although thankfully we have sewerage plumbing and even indoor toilets now!

Monday Link-o-rama

Today I'm into:

The beautiful artwork and gorgeous colours of Gustav Klimt. Lots more Klimt pics can be found here.

My new book Gaudi: Complete Works by Aurora Cuito and Cristina Montes.

The mosaic technique frequently used by Gaudi known as trencadis [site in Spanish], which he used to great effect on the park bench at Parc Guell in Barcelona. A comprehensive look at the trencadis works of Gaudi (and his assistant Jujol) in Parc Guell can be found at Joy of Shards.

The Scottish art nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and his surviving works (which are quite numerous).

New Indian photoblogs I recently discovered, especially Vivek's, Sudarshan's, Deepak's and the previously mentioned Nilesh's 'Shutterbug'.

A Helping Hand

A while back I started reading a lot of Indian blogs and photoblogs. In part because I have always had a fascination with India, but also because the fact that most of them are written in English makes them so accessible.

It has been really remarkable to see the first hand work some of the Indian bloggers are doing to aid the Tsunami affected people of India. Case in point Kiruba (aka 'Kribs') has been purchasing fishing nets and cooking equipment for affected villages, and has been travelling with other bloggers such as Anita to distribute the aid personally. It seems that they are specifically helping to ensure that some of the smaller affected areas don't get overlooked, while the big aid agencies focus on the larger and worst hit areas.

Amazing stuff.

Buddhist Cultural Festival

I had a wonderful day today at the Buddhist cultural festival. I spent about 4 hours on a stall for my local Buddhist Centre; handing out fliers; selling books, incense and prayer beads; talking to lots of people, and getting sun burned (despite the factor 30!). The crowds were quite good, especially given the baking sun and searing heat.

This morning was quite cool and overcast, and I thought for a while that the weather forcasters had once again gotten it wrong. No such luck, by lunchtime there wasn't hardly a cloud to be seen and the mercury was rising. Tumbalong park only has shade around the perimeter and so, except for the oasis of shade inside each stall, it was hot and bright.


Some of the stalls from the different Buddhist centers around Sydney. Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. 15th January, 2005.

Late in the morning monks and nuns from the different Buddhist traditions offered prayers, with a particular focus on prayers for all those sentient beings (human and animal) who lost their lives in the Tsunami disaster. Many other groups perfomed dances, songs and other cultural presentations, and dignitaries made speaches throughout the afternoon.


Theravadan monks of the Thai forest tradition perform prayers. 15th January, 2005.


A Korean nun performs prayers. 15th January, 2005.


Vietnamese monks performing prayers. 15th January, 2005.

The day had many highlights, not least of which was the kindness and respect that the general public showed towards all of the different cultural and religious groups represented. The generosity of people was noteworthy too, with one lady slipping a $50 note into our collection box for Tsunami relief. The tragedy was personalised for me by a lady who was discussing with me that she would be finding a centre to say prayers tomorrow for the Tsunami victims, in particular for her closest friend of 28 years who was killed on a beach in Thailand. A poignant reminder of how close the disaster was for many Australians and a sad moment in an otherwise happy day.


Theravadan monks at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. 15th January, 2005.

Endless Summer

I don't know what this purple flowering tree is, but everytime I walk under it I'm struck by its beauty. If I had more guts, I'd tuck a spray of it behind my ear.

I guess beauty takes courage.


Summer time! January, 2005.

I Must Have Missed The Sign That Said Caution Dip Ahead

I've avoided posting much in the way of personal commentary this week, and mostly stuck to posting odd links I've found and pictures I've taken. To be frank, things have been pretty shitty this week and I haven't felt much like talking about it.

I'm not sure that I want this blog to be an exercise in baring any of the dark corners of my soul; I don't much like reading those kinds of blogs, I don't spend much time not feeling good about things anyway and I don't feel that I would particularly gain anything by posting those kinds of entries. Carthasis maybe, but I'm more of a 'retreat and lick my wounds' kind of guy.

So, to cut a long story short I had a bit of a 'crash and burn' emotionally this week. Nothing too dramatic, but I've been struggling with the typical insomnia I get during summer, feelings of panic and paranoia about my jobless state, and a complete lack of motivation to do much of anything about it. No I don't think I'm depressed; maybe small 'd', but not the big clinical 'D'.

So, I know that it may seem contradictory to be talking about not talking about something (huh?), but the point of this is that I'm feeling much brighter. I did some job applications this morning and have rung around some recruiters I spoke with a little while back. I can now look myself in the mirror and say that I'm doing something other than sitting in my underwear reading blogs. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

This afternoon I'm off to do some volunteer cleaning at the Buddhist Centre I attend and this Saturday I'm manning a stall for the same centre at Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. I worked on the same stall at the Newtown Festival in November, and had such a great time that instead of being on the stall for two hours I stayed on for six! If anyone from the Sydney area is around Darling Harbour between 12 and 3 on Saturday, stop and say 'Hi' won't you.

File This One Under "People In Glass Houses"

I think the folks at Defamer may need to fire an intern or two. On the same day that they rightly lambasted the sloppy proofreading of Star and their piece on Moetly Cruee's [sic] singer, they presented a juicy item about "Michael Jacskon"[sic].

Oops.

[Drat, I couldn't get the Defamer links to work. Check the 12th January 2004 entries on the Defamer website for both pieces. Sorry.]

I Kiss You!

I love this building with its decoration of a giant set of sexy red lips. It's about a 10 minutes walk from my house in Newtown, and whenever I pass it it always makes me smile.

Today has been a frustrating and unproductive day, so if you're having the same sort of day that I'm having then I hope this piece of whimsy lifts your mood, as it does mine. Whoever the person who lives in this converted wharehouse is, thanks!


Luscious lips. August, 2004

Is There A Kongourikishi Dream House?

Why bother with Barbie or Bratz, when you could have a Spritual Warrior on your side?

P.S. I so want a set of these!

The Discerning Lens

I am in awe of the gorgeous photographs taken by people such as Nilesh of Shutterbug. Case in point, his beautiful pictures of Namdroling Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Bylakuppe, India. Beautiful!

Rightfully so, he is nominated for Best Indi-Photoblog in the 2004 IndiBloggies.

Juicy Salif Conquers The Universe

There is some fantastic public art in my neighbourhood, and this is one of my absolute favourites. The choice of an iconic yuppie object which looks convincingly spaceship like, and the classic golden age of Sci Fi font style, makes it a winner in my books.

Although it does give me pause when I consider the fact that three of my friends all own these juicers...


Paving stone art. Newtown, Sydney.

Homes Of The Future?

Somehow I completely missed the fact that last year was the Year of the Built Environment, and I'm kicking myself because I love architecture and design, and especially concept houses. Case in point, this project slipped by unnoticed, as did the exhibition. Fortunately it seems that the exhibition might be moving to Sydney Olympic Park during 2005.

(I have to admit though that I'm disappointed that by 2005 we aren't living in homes like this or like the ones this guy predicted. Don't even get me started on jet packs or hovercraft.)

Some of the six houses in the exhibition look quite cool, but a few just look impractical. An all glass nanotechnology house? Umm, sure. I love the idea of the temporary cardboard house (so long as it actually keeps the weather out), and if this could be prefabbed quickly and cheaply it could be a useful way to provide an emergency housing solution. It would certainly be cheaper to transport.

The Universe Strikes Back

Remember my last post? You know, the one about being all introspective and stuff? How, I needed to get going and not spend so much time in my head? Well, I found a cure!

Break a toe!!

Yup, I misjudged the step up from my kitchen to my hallway the other night and kicked the step instead of stepping up onto it. In bare feet.

So I did the standard toe stubbing procedure: 1. grab said toes, 2. hop up and down on other foot, 3. roll eyes, 4. throw back head and let rip every expletive known, 5. make up new expletives, because the others just aren't cutting it. 5 minutes in and three little toes where heading back to normalcy while one recalcitrant (the second toe, the one next to the big toe) was not.

Fortunately it's summer here, so I can get away with wearing sandals at the moment, but the poor little thing is sitting there bloated, purple, black nailed. Hey, I have a Goth toe! Cool.

The Introspectacle

introspection n the examination of one's own thoughts, impressions and feelings.

spectacle n 1. a public display or performance, esp. a showy or ceremonial one. 2. a thing or performance seen, esp. an unusual or a ridiculous one: he made a spectacle of himself. 3. a strange or interesting object or phenomenon.

I am by nature quite an introspective person, someone who can quite happily spend time lost in my own thoughts. Yet, I'm not all that much of an introvert. Maybe a part-time one. Sure I can be a bit shy around people I have just met, but so long as I have even a whiff of a comfort zone with people, well then look out because the all-singing, all-dancing extrovert can emerge.

Sometimes though my nature to be quite introspective can tip over into something that's not quite all healthy, something that encourages inertia. Something too that (to put it into a Buddhist framework) stops me being present, stops me being awake to how my thoughts, words and deeds might affect others. A while ago I termed this showy perfomance of introspection my introspectacle. It can still be a spectacle, even if I'm the only that get's to see it, can't it?

So this past week has been a bit of an introspectacle week. Not a big one, but enough that I have spent a lot of time in my own company, mulling things over and not getting a hell of a lot done.

So, the action plan from here on in; a night out tonight with my best friend of 27 years (and who is departing on Sunday to Korea for a few years), job applications and more job applications this weekend, putting together the storage units I bought at Ikea yesterday and cleaning up my room and especially meditation.

I know it probably seems strange to talk about meditation as helping to break out of a cycle of introspection, isn't that where you just sit there, like, thinking, dude? Well yes, and no. One of the hardest things to do early on in meditation is to start to develop single pointed concentration, ie. the ability to concentrate on just one thing, in this case just observing watching your breath in, and your breath out. Try it and try not to think about your feet going to sleep, the sound of a car in the street, what you plan to make for dinner tonight... it's hard.

The payoff though, even if you you only get momentary tastes of what that sort of concentration is like, is mental rest. Sort of like a nap for your brain and what some Buddhist writers refer to as the first stage of 'stopping the war within' or 'taming the tiger'. In addition there are specific Buddhist meditations which shift your focus to caring for others, on developing loving kindness and on strengthening your resolve to help ease the suffering of others wherever you can. Quite the cure for the introspectacle I think!

Summer In The City

Two reasons why I love Summer.


My neighbour's Frangipani, which blooms over my side fence.


An Azalea from my courtyard.

Bolly Alright For You, Pats?

It is embarassing to admit, but I suspect that inside my 40 year old man's chest might beat the heart of a 15 year old Indian girl. Yes folks I bring you my latest crush. Aftab Shivdesani, Bollywood actor of such films as the deeply silly Masti [warning, slow loading Flash animation for days].

Bollywood films and music have always been two of my more obscure guilty pleasures. The liking for which is also shared by my friend John. The other night he leant me a couple of DVDs he had bought from his local Indian grocer (which his wife refuses to allow him to watch, on account of a low threshold for camp sillines), one of which was Masti.

If you have read point 67 of my previous entry 100 things you will know that I frequently find Indian men attractive. What my ex-boyfriend Stephen, who is himself Anglo-Indian, refers to as men with a 'a touch of the tinge' about them.

Darling!

Two viewings of The Incredibles later and all of a sudden I have become Edna Mode.

What am I currently saying about 100 times a day?

This has confiscated my life, darling!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2005 is a great year for you, and for all of us.

Portrait Of The Author, As A (Not So) Young Man

Well, here I am in all my glory. Be kind.


It's not easy being orange 

Talkin' 'Bout A Resolution, Yeah, You Know

Partly inspired by the character Michael Tolliver's list of resolutions for the New Year 1977, in Armistead Maupin's More Tails Of The City, here ladies and gentlemen I give you my:

New Year's Resolutions for 2005

I will lose weight, get fit, 6 pack abs... blah, blah, blah.

I will not think I can do this by sitting on my ass and watching tv aerobics.

I will reconcile myself to the fact that Jude Law has obviously lost my number.

I will disprove the theory that you cannot have all three of the following: 1. Hot job, 2. Hot apartment, 3. Hot boyfriend. Or die trying.

I will only take up 2, maybe 3 or 4, new hobbies in 2005. Oh, and will limit my unfinished projects to... oh, say... less than a thousand.

I will be less shallow... but will still have, like, really cute hair.

I will no longer live by the motto It's not cruel if it's funny and be kinder.

I will tell people that I love them. (I should probably restrict this to people I know though, especially since that guy on the train reacted so badly...)

I will accept that some people believe there is more to life than The Amazing Race. (I know, shocking.)

I will stop addressing Mormon missionaries, in their cute little white shirts and ties, as "Honey".

I will blog more, funnier, more insightfuly and will actually chuck in a link every now and then.

2004: A Year In Review

Well 2004, your time here is almost gone and I'll be glad to see the back of you. Not that your were horrendous (like 2003 aka 'The Year Of The Head-On Car Accident'), but you were kind of meh, to be honest.

2004, Some Highs & Lows:

Got serious about my Buddhist faith; started a two year Buddhist studies course, became more involved in more activities at the gompa (temple), volunteered to be the facilities manager for the gompa in 2005. (High)

Gathered my willpower and resolve and gave up meat and alcohol. (Mostly High, but Christmas was so hard!)

Watched in horror as hundreds of thousands of people died in war, and both natural and man made disasters. (Very Low)

Turned 40; had a great party, bathed in the love of good friends, noticed grey hairs in my beard for the first time. (High & Low)

Left my unrewarding job at the accounting firm. (High)

Started this blog and started picking up readers towards the end of the year. (High)

Watched some very dear friends move away. (Low)

Anyone else care to share their highs and lows?

Sorrow

I am so stunned by the enormity of the Tsunamis disaster in the Indian ocean region, our not so distant neighbours, that I can hardly write about it. A death toll currently estimated at around 23,000 and growing.

I've been watching with horror the news footage of the destruction and carnage, much of the footage caught as the waves rolled in and swept people way. So many heart renching tales.

I think I will take the image of the row after row of wrapped children's bodies with me to the grave.

Whatever you believe in, say a prayer or spare a thought for the suffering of the dead and the living. Give whatever you can, as I hope all our governments will.

[31st December 2004. The death toll has climbed past 120,000. I still struggle to comprehend how awful this disaster is, how much it has touched and changed the lives of so many people, and ended the lives of so many before their time was due. I watch the horrific tv images and walk around stunned. Please let this bring us all together, so that something positive might perhaps come from this.]

'Twas The Season To Be Jolly

Christmas holiday season highlights, in no particular order:

Christmas Eve sitting on the patio of a friend's house, with good food and company, puppies to pat, great cheeses and a pleasantly cool evening.

Christmas day lunch of porcini mushroom and truffle risotto. Not standard Christmas fare I agree, but I was touched that my hosts went to such an effort to create a delicious vegetarian option.

Watching my hosts' hot, hot, HOT 26 year old son making said risotto.

Channeling my inner Martha by taking charge of the table decorations and creating an impromptu Christmas tree with branches from the garden.

Hearing the elderly mother of one of my hosts say that it was the best Christmas she had ever had.

Boxing Day (December 26th) breakfast with my oldest and dearest friend and his girlfriend, a week before they are due to be married and head away to Korea for a few years.

Boxing Day afternoon and evening at another friend's house, with laughs, presents and a 'power nap' on her Chesterfield sofa.

Holding the 7 week old daughter of two of my friends, and watching her gurgle, burble and grin every time I smiled at her.

So, this year was a social whirligig that started on Christmas eve and has only just slowed. Exhausting? Check. Fun? Check. Probably ate waaay to much? Double check, but who cares?

I hope you all had a great time.

Merry, Happy, Joyful To You

Have a wonderful day tomorrow, whatever occasion you are celebrating. Be nice to each other. Spare a thought for those in need, in pain or in peril, and for the lonely.

Oh, and throw away your diets for at least one day and enjoy yourselves.

I'm off to a friend's house for a Christmas Eve get together with a rag tag mob of people, new babies and a couple of naughty puppies. Good times!

Kisses.

I'll Be Homo For Christmas

Things I have observed about myself this Christmas holiday season:

I love wrapping gifts.

I think it is perfectly reasonable that I have a theme for all my wrapping.

This year's theme, aside from the colour scheme of red and gold, involves small red 'mirror ball' hearts and gold bows.

Mikey and I bought a couple of gifts between us, and I handed over one of them to let him wrap. It made my heart race and my palms itch, because I just know it won't be perfect.

I am a) a Control Freak when it comes to wrapping and b) the gayest gay of all the gays that have ever walked the Earth.

Or maybe I'm just her.

What Is That Smell?

In the future, when someone says this blog stinks, it may be true.

The Glass Is Half Empty

I'm not normally a whiner, but I need to offload about a couple of things:

Tossing and turning for a couple of hours, being woken at 1.15am by my room mate knocking over his bike in the hall, then waking at 3am with a bursting bladder is NOT anyone's idea of a good night's sleep.

I hate my (soon to be ex) job, enough said.

I just had to type out round 80 labels for Christmas cards to go out to clients. Christmas, bah humbug.

I don't handle rejection well, especially from people offering jobs I really want. Yes David Jones, I'm looking at you. No other store like, indeed.

The prospect of unemployment in a few weeks time is starting to stress me out.

I'm so bone weary today that I'm clenching my jaw. If I don't start sleeping properly again soon I'm going to have to go and see the doctor... or start hanging out in the sort of bars where they spike your drinks.

Wow, when I start whining I can really get up a head of steam. Apologies, gentle reader.

100 Things

Ladies and gentlemen,
I bring you the ubiquitous navel gazing exercise known as 100 Things:

1. If you are given a very common name like Andrew, you will either spend most of your life with a variety of nicknames, or most of your life with some sort of qualifier attached to your name. So "No, short Andrew", "No, Mikey's ex-boyfriend Andrew" or something similar becomes very common.
   
2. 'The Other Andrew' is a spin on this, and started life as a name to distinguish me from another Andrew who was also a frequent commenter on Max's site.
   
3. My family and a small handful of old friends call me Andy. I don't mind it, but I'm not keen when strangers call me that. Somehow it seems too intimate.
   
4. I'm very short. 5'4" (or about 165cm).
   
5. I cry easily.
   
6. These two things are not related.
   
7. I was born in 1964, which makes me 38 for the next couple of years, at least.
   
8. My family came to Australia from England when I was 1 year old, and I grew up in Adelaide but moved to Sydney in my 20's.
   
9. I don't smoke. (I hear it stunts your growth.)
   
10. I love to laugh, and to make other people laugh.
    
11. I have a tendency to say almost anything, often quite outrageous things, if I think it will get a laugh.
    
12. I am the world's lightest sleeper. Ever.
    
13. On account of this, I have periodic bouts of insomnia and have slept with earplugs every night for over twenty years.
    
14. My hotel room was once robbed, while I was asleep in the room. The earplugs were partly to blame, but I had drunk my own body weight in alcohol, so that might have been a factor. In hindsight, I was glad I stayed asleep.
    
15. I'm an orphan.
    
16. Both my parents died from cancer.
    
17. In a strange twist of fate I once worked for a Familial Cancer Registry, dealing with the members of families with known genetic mutations which pre-dispose them to certain types of cancer.
    
18. It ended up being a little too close to home, even though my family does not fit the profile.
    
19. I have two sisters who I get along well with but I rarely see as they live half way across the country.
    
20. My oldest sister suffered a debilitating stroke a few years back and her life has never been the same since.
    
21. I played the French Horn in High School. I was so tiny I couldn't hold it properly.
    
22. Whenever I tell my friends this they fall about laughing.
    
23. I've survived two major car accidents. I'm not planning on having a third.
    
24. I don't drive, and never have.
    
25. Last year I broke my clavicle in a head-on car accident. It was extremely painful, especially as it went undiagnosed for a couple of weeks and I had started having physiotherapy. My shoulders are no longer symmetrical.
    
26. I was a teenage Star Trek nerd. Conventions, costumes, the whole nine yards. Biggest nerd coup, a book personally autographed by Gene Roddenberry himself. In your face, bitches.
    
27. I have a strong creative drive and love to make things.
    
28. I trained as a milliner.
    
29. I once won a hat competition with a horse race themed Melbourne Cup hat... made for a drag queen. There was Astroturf, plastic horses and a hot-glue gun involved.
    
30. I adore stationery and hardware stores. So. Many. Precious. Things.
    
31. Amongst other crafts, I'm an excellent embroiderer. Yes, I know how nelly that sounds.
    
32. I secretly wish I was Martha Stewart, but without the prison thing.
    
33. I love you, even though you never call.
    
34. I can't abide the taste of liquorice or anything aniseed. Blech!
    
35. Aside from that, I'm pretty much omnivorous, but that changed recently when I became a vegetarian.
    
36. I hate the smell of popcorn, especially the buttered sort that people eat at the movies. I've been known to change seats if the smell is too strong.
    
37. I love animals, especially dogs. I used to date a guy who bred and showed dogs competitively, and when we split I missed the dogs more than him.
    
38. Everything in the dog show 'mockumentary' film "Best In Show" is pretty much true.
    
39. Bar one notable example (see Dog Show Man above) I'm still friends with all my ex boyfriends. They are legion.
    
40. Dog Show Man turned out to be just a tad psychotic. If I'd known that he saw a psychiatrist twice a week, I might have been more cautious.
    
41. I've been single for about three years now, and I don't mind it at all.
    
42. It would be nice to be in another relationship, but I figure it'll happen one day.
    
43. Most people hate playing cards with me. Not because I'm good, but because every single time I'm all like "So how do we play this one again?"...
    
44. I don't play cards very often.
    
45. I'm a practicing Buddhist, in the Tibetan lineage called Mahayana.
    
46. I'm a Godless Parent to the daughter of two of my closest friends. In addition to approaching a Christian friend to be a God Parent, they approached a Pagan friend and myself to be provide balance and alternatives.
    
47. I was extremely touched.
    
48. I can't sing, even though I used to be a choral singer before my voice broke.
    
49. I have a large group of loving friends, both straight and gay.
    
50. I'm a bit of a tv junkie, and let little come between me and an episode of The Amazing Race.
    
51. I use too many commas, and ellipses...
    
52. I love dark chocolate. Dark & bitter.
    
53. I'm a good cook.
    
54. I love coffee. Straight up and dirty, black and no sugar.
    
55. I'm not so keen on tea, it gives me indigestion.
    
56. I learnt to tap dance in my early 30's, but haven't really done it since.
    
57. I studied classical ballet for 4 years, but gave it up when I was 12 and all the girls were towering over me.
    
58. I still have passably good turn-out and extension.
    
59. For my 40th birthday a friend gave me a day at flying trapeze school. Best. Gift. Ever.
    
60. I love to read, but like everyone else in the blogsphere, what I really want to do is write.
    
61. But of course I don't, and when I do I'm not very good at it. Of course you know that already if you read this blog.
    
62. I try not to, but I tend to use emoticons.
    
63. :-)
    
64. From 9 to 5 I have to spend my time at work. My job is very boring, I'm an office clerk.
    
65. I will respect you immensely if you get that reference.
    
66. I love what you've done with your hair.
    
67. I don't have a particular 'type' but I frequently find Indian and Anglo-Indian men attractive. Apparently this makes me a Curry Queen, who knew?
    
68. I dislike buying new shoes, as I have flat and wide feet. Consequently it takes me forever to break in new shoes.
    
69. Like jeans, they're best when they're just about to fall apart.
    
70. When I find a pair of shoes that fit well, I wear them endlessly.
    
71. The height thing and the feet thing indicate that I am at least one quarter hobbit.
    
72. There's a bit of munchkin in there too, I suspect.
    
73. I love nice soap. L'Occitane's lemon verbena almost makes me swoon.
    
74. I love the word 'swoon'.
    
75. I grew a goatee even before they were fashionable. I've kept it ever since, on account of I'm convinced I have a weak chin.
    
76. I have hazel eyes like my mother, which look more brown or more green on different days.
    
77. I wish I had inherited my father's blue eyes.
    
78. I am determined to visit Barcelona and Venice some day.
    
79. I love architecture, and when I was at school I toyed with the idea of becoming an architect.
    
80. The maths put me off.
    
81. I wish it hadn't.
    
82. I sometimes doodle buildings during meetings.
    
83. I would love to see a Gaudi building first hand.
    
84. In my opinion two of the most underrated virtues are kindness and restraint.
    
85. I'm not that great at restraint.
    
86. Having said that, I did give up meat and alcohol recently and my degree of willpower has surprised even me.
    
87. Most embarrassing moment would probably be when my very old fashioned father walked in on me as a teenager undertaking a little self pleasuring, shall we call it?
    
88. It was a close call to figure out which of us was the more mortified.
    
89. Thank goodness he never looked on top of my wardrobe. That thing was positively groaning under the weight of well thumbed porn.
    
90. I told my school friends I was gay when I was 15, and they all reacted really well.
    
91. At 18 I was working as a telephone counsellor, talking to guys who were coming out and were often more than twice my age. It was tough but I'm glad I did it.
    
92. I really dislike fidgeting, especially seeing people bite their nails. I have no idea why, but it really bugs me. Why can't you just sit still?
    
93. I'm a big fan of fresh air, when I'm home I'll always have the doors and windows open (unless it is really cold).
    
94. I have a large sticker above my work station which is purple and says Drama Queen. It was given to me by a co-worker.
    
95. The rest of my workstation walls are a postcard art gallery. William Morris, Buddha pictures and Japanese prints feature heavily. One of my favourites is a picture of a gun pointing to an X, with an arrow saying 'You Are Here'.
    
96. My parents had really thick English accents, and I have a bit of a weird English/Aussie hybrid accent thing going.
    
97. I use the word 'actually' waaaaay too much.
    
98. I always read the instructions... and not afterwards but before I try and operate it/put it together.
    
99. I suspect that I'm not a very good blogger. When I go back and read my posts they sometimes seem a little too low key and don't really sound that much like me I think.
    
100. ...but then again, I'm my own worst critic.
     

Manolo A Go Go

Being cursed with flat, wide, hobbit feet I have a love/hate relationship with shoes. (I love them best when they're just about to fall apart, and hate buying and breaking in new ones.)

If you don't share my dislike and have a taste for all that's strappy and snappy, take a look at Shoewawa.

[Link via the fab Things Magazine.]

Dear Willpower,

Things just haven't been the same since you went away, so I just wanted to write and say that I miss you. I know things were kind of strained between us, especially since the second bag of potato crisps 'incident', but I'm kind of hoping we can let bygones be bygones, you know? We used to be so great together.

I was thinking about you a lot today, as I chewed on a Mars Bar. It reminded me of all the fun things we used to do, like eating only until we were full and having a work day that didn't involve hours spent on the internet.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well. I must go, I'm off to the shops.

Love, Andrew

In The History Of Bad Mental Images, This One Is A Goody.

Is it just me, or does a newspaper story including the line '...a Danish sperm bank is stocking up on large amounts of semen ready to flood the British market' seem just a tad too rich with mental imagery?

You Complete Me

Discussion has been happening over at Freakgirl about the cheesiest movie lines ever, and it got me thinking about all the romantic movies I've been watching lately. Let me get a little more specific, romantice movies about men who love other men. Yes, the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name.

Being the recent proud owner of a fully functioning DVD player (apparently it helps to plug the damn thing in correctly, who knew?) I've been on a bit of a DVD watching kick.

So first I watched a couple of films which were lent to me by Mikey and which I hadn't heard of before, Big Eden and The Trip. (Verdict: both films are a little light on for realism, but make up for it in charm and endearing perfomances from appealing lead actors. Larry Sullivan, marry me. Seriously, I'm prepared to relocate.)

Next up I received an early Christmas present of a copy of All Over The Guy. (Verdict: I like this movie even though it has some flaws. I find it fun, entertaining and definately improved by the presence of the hunky Richard Ruccolo. A personal bonus, most of the characters share my dislike for the film In & Out.)

This is not a genre that is generally that easy to come by, and some of the films suffer a bit from a) a touch of preachiness, b) dumbing down of the subject and c) a wistful 'soft filter' optimism. All three of the above films do tip over into some of these faults a little, but are enjoyable and diverting - especially if you are in the mood for a little representation with a happy ending.

Sometimes you just want to see nice looking guys fall in love and stay together, despite the odds.

Don't just trust my opinion, there's a bunch of quite different reviews of Big Eden here and All Over The Guy here, and a review of The Trip here for starters.

Sea Change

I'm leaving my job.

Man it feels great to write that.

When I started here over two years ago it was only supposed to be temporary, something to keep the wolf from the door. Well, here I am almost two and a half years later still here. I love some of the people I work with, dislike my boss's management style and the work bores me to tears. Time to move on.

I'm trying to move back into a buyer role in retail, something I used to love and should never have left. So if anyone believes in luck, wishes or 'positive' energy, I'd be a willing recipient.

Oh, and that job I just applied for with Gucci, that would really suit an Accessories Queen like me...

An Irishman About The House

I have a new house mate. Yay, for not starving and being thrown out on the street!

(Which would never actually happen, because I rent the house from my close friend of 27 years. Never let facts get in the way of the dramatic!)

He's sweet, funny and Irish. Oh, but best of all, he has a great ass.

FMR magazine

I can't remember when I first came across the gorgeous art and culture magazine FMR Magazine published by Italian publisher Franco Maria Ricci, but it must have been something like 1985 or 1986. I remember back then drooling over the thick paper stock, the black gloss pages and the lush photography of incredible artworks, buildings and antiques, and the accompanying articles by top notch writers. I do remember though just how expensive it was, very, very expensive for a magazine. Even a really beautiful one. In my mind it became one of the symbols which opitimised the celebration of the 'high life' so popular in the 80's.

Fast forward roughly 15 years and I was looking through a discount bookseller's stall while on holidays in Perth, Western Australia, when I discovered stacks of old FMR Magazine issues from the late 80's. I was nearing the end of my holiday and money was scarce, but I picked through and bought 4 issues which were in good condition and had amazingly beautiful contents.

I always assumed the magazine went under, a classic victim of the end of 80's excess but I was wrong. It is still on sale and appears to be going strong, but available only through subscription. Very expensive subscription!

More info about the magazine can be found here (just click the *enter Franco Maria Ricci's world* link).

I Love Science

I would love to have seen the grant proposal for this research.

PS. The last paragraph totally freaks me out. 'Coagulates'... [shudder]

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

This is very funny, and probably a worthwhile cautionary tale.

[Link via the wonderful Fussy.]

Arcosanti

I remember years ago hearing about a project called Arcosanti, whereby an Italian architect Paulo Soleri was building a small prototype city in the Arizona desert. From the website it would seem that his work revolves around high density and multi-use facilities built along ecological principles. A percentage of the site is already built and the public spaces in particular look quite interesting. The project has been underway for around 30 years and they are still a long way off being finished by the look of it.

Soleri seems to be very optimistic that good design can positively affect social interaction. Some of his designs are quite arrestingly poetic in scope and scale, but I'm curious as to what it would be like to actually live in such a planned city. Living in a high density community is one thing when it is a campus of like-minded architecture students motivated with a single goal. What happens though when the Jones's with their late night parties and Sunday morning screaming matches end up cheek-by-jowl next door?

Laughter Under The Stars

I think I increased my Weirdness Factor with my friends and co-workers by telling them that I went to a Christmas party... on the 29th of October... at a Buddhist centre.

(It isn't quite as contradictory as it sounds. Buddhism itself doesn't deny other religions and believes that all faith systems with a core of compassion, and an ideal of freeing all beings from suffering, are valid. Many Buddhists also see Jesus as having been a Bodhisattva, a supremely compassionate being working to free all beings from suffering.)

As to the choice of 29th October, it was because the Lama in residence and a number of students were taking off to India shortly after, for teachings with His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

The evening was beautifull, cool and clear as we sat outside at tables in the garden under fairy lights and lanterns. I met many new people, struck up conversations with people I had only a passing acquaintence with, laughed and generally had a lovely time. I sat next to an interesting Korean man who talked about his love of the 'T. Lobsang Rampa' books as a teenager, and how even though in hindsight they are works of fantasy and fiction, they gave him enough of a taste of Tibetan Buddhism to start him off on the spiritual path that lead him to where he is now. (There is an interesting and crticial review of the influence of the Rampa books and the 'fictionalising of Tibet' here.)

So an interesting evening, and a nice reminder that there is considerable value in developing a sense of community with other people who are pursuing a similar spiritual quest, no matter what form that takes.

Chicken Or The Beef?

I find this website about Airline meals strangely compelling. My initial reactions were "what the fuh?" and astonishment at the scope of it. 10,000+ reader submitted images and reviews covering over 400 airlines.

It turns out to be one of those wonderful success stories that crop up on the net occasionally, someone starts a niche interest website that strikes a cord with people and it takes off (sorry about the pun). Read the 'about AirlineMeals.net' for the interesting history of how the site came to be. Some airlines are now actively using the customer reviews to monitor the customer reactions to their meals and the reviewer photos to monitor quality control and to ensure the cabin crews are presenting everything properly. The Dutch graphic artist who started and runs the site has now added other airline related ephemera such as vintage meal pics and advertising, and related airline food topics such as lounge food and behind-the-scenes of catering facilities.

As I said, strangely compelling.

Updated: I just noticed that the Aussie paper the Sun Herald recently did an article on AirlineMeals.net which makes for interesting reading

Return Of The Arch Nemesis

I have posted previously about my arch nemesis, the Evil Empire that is Sydney's City Rail rail network. This once efficient system is now a mishmash of cancelled, delayed or infuriatingly slow services, courtesy of a history of budget cuts and industrial action.

So I present with glee someone's take on the real Sydney rail network.

And... cue lawyers!

Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

I'm in love with Project Button, a collaborative art project of amazing 1 inch buttons from artists all over the world. Very timely is the latest theme, Peace.

Oh, and the web design of the site is gorgeous too.

Spiritual Supermarket

Need more meaning in your life? Feeling a desire to connect with a greater truth?

Well get yourself over to Unusual Churches and Cults, the Church of Endora or the Cult Of The Dead Milkman may just help you to unscrew the inscrutable.

My Baby Takes The Morning... Monorail!

I love the stylings and sheer optomisitc exhuberence of many of the designs at this Transportation Futuristics exhibition site. It's a little slow to load but worth the effort.

[Link via the wonderful Things Magazine]

Hello What?!

Now I have seen everything.

Scroll down on this page until you find the Hello Kitty product towards the bottom of the page.

Oh. My. God.

The Romance of Travel

I have always been addicted to the look of vintage travel ephemera - posters, tickets, menus, luggage labels etc. Especially those that date from the early decades of the twentieth century through to the 1950's.

I guess the appeal is more than just a love of the pure Art Deco 'machine-age' aesthetic that many of them have. It's also the great romantic notions of travels by cruiseliner, by overland train and by the early years of airplanes, and of travel when so much was exotic and unknown.

So it is with joy that I discovered this gallery of vintage luggage labels. Delightful.

Change

Recently I've been listening to teachings and doing meditations on impermanence, one of the more important teachings in Buddhism and an important part of the Buddhist course I have been doing.

Quite suddenly I've been presented with an opportunity to reflect on this at close range, to feel the emotional ebb and flow of how I respond to major change and importantly to see how different it feels. It looks like three people very close to me are all about to head off on paths that will take them away.

Today my good friend (and ex-boyfriend) Steven heads off to Brisbane to live. I'll miss him but most importantly I feel happy for him that he has decided to take his life by the horns, to leave the job he hated, and to make a positive step towards re-connecting with his family.

In about four weeks time my friend, and room mate, Narelle heads off to Canberra to live. It's a positive move for her career, she'll earn more and save more, and she'll be moving in with her best friend. So likewise, this is a great move for her.

Last week I heard that my close friend of 27 years has been offered a job in Korea for a minimum of two years. He's heading over with his girlfriend this weekend to see what Korea is like, to find out if his girlfriend will be able to work there, and then to ultimately make his decision. If he accepts he'll be gone by month end. My first reaction... "No, you can't!!".

However, it didn't take too much reflection for me to see the grasping, the attachment, the ego involved in my reaction. All three are moving towards great opportunities, exciting life experiences and opportunities for great personal growth. So I'm at peace.

Frankly, I've surprised myself. A year ago I would be on a depressive spiral, feeling overwhelmed by these friends moving away, by having to find a new room mate, by fears of loneliness. It seems that I'm changing too.

Cry Boy Cry

While I was out this morning I picked up a copy of a 'best of' Jimmy Somerville CD (from the Bronski Beat and The Communards era) and have been listening to Jimmy's sweet falsetto ever since.

From the bitter sweet start of "Small Town Boy" I'm suddenly 19 again, lying on Gary's bed in his cold and dingy bedroom while he tells me what it's like to be young and queer in his small home town in England, and that he loves me. Gary had a 12" vinyl single which he would play over and over again and would sometimes cry along with. I'm so in love with him I feel electrified.

Fast forward a couple of years and a few tracks on the CD and Gary has moved on to be with someone else. I'm single, fairly happy most of time, and in particular I'm dancing my heart out at a bar called the Mars Bar in my old home town of Adelaide while Jimmy is singing "Tell Me Why". Can you tell me whyyyyyyy? It's likely that I'm also trying for the thousandth unsuccessful time to get my big unrequited crush Steve to dance with me. (RIP sweetie, I miss you and I'm sorry that I missed your passing.) Some men just won't dance, no matter how sweetly you ask them.

So it has been a bitter sweet afternoon. I've smiled a lot and cried a little. I've thought of past loves and lost friends, but I've also remembered transcendant nights on the dancefloor and big great loves. Thanks Jimmy, I owe you one.

Next Stop, Cirque du Soliel!

I cashed in one of my birthday presents on Sunday and went to trapeze school.

Yup, you read right. Trapeze. School.

It was challenging, fun, incredible and ultimately exhausting. I can't wait to do it again! I did discover though that the collarbone I fractured last year is operating at somewhere less than 100%, so I'll wait a few months, do some more pushups and strenghtening exercises and then have another go.

I had moments of trepidation as I climbed the ladder to the take-off platform, and even more as I had to lean right out and grab the bar (they have a hold of you by only the safety belt you are wearing). The exhilaration was incredible though, and I was able to ace a few tricks like doing a backflip from the bar into the net.

An hour and a half later I was tired, and had discovered muscles that I didn't know I had, but I was exhilarated and proud of what I had acheived. I don't have a problem with heights, but swinging out on a trapeze bar about 30 feet up in the air makes you face whatever fear you have about not just heights but your ability to undertake something new and physically challenging. I'm very glad I did it.

Cranky, Your Table Is Ready

I'm feeling a mixture of tired and cranky today, with a small shot of angry and a pinch of bitter thrown in.

I know much better than this, I really do, but you know what? Today I'm kind of enjoying it.

Five Things That Will Never Happen

Someone will describe me as lanky.

I will watch someone bite their nails and it won't send me into paroxisms of irrational internalised rage.

I will pay money to voluntarily see a movie with 'Princess' in the title.

I will similarly start watching "McLeod's Daughters", and will care very, very deeply about it.

One of my Morning Commute Crushes will stare at me first, and for longer.

I Got Your Updates Right Here.

So, cut to a neglectful couple of weeks later and let's see what our hero has been up to:

I turned 40. No-one died and the world did not, in fact, end.

I got sick with something as lame sounding as an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. I got me some URTI, baby. Nothing life-ending, but I felt fluey, hot and crabby for nearly a week and had a killer sore throat and swollen glands. It was Not Much Fun.

I have lovely friends, who love me lots and show their affection in the best way possible... with really cool birthday gifts.

Speaking of which, I picked out my new bicycle (a Giant OCR1 road bike) which is a gift from my ex. I just have to wait 6 weeks for them to get me one in a size extra small! However, I still maintained my dignity in the face of such heartless labelling.

I'm in love with all the accessories cycling entails. You can never have too many hats, bags or shoes.

I put in a submission to create my own job role at my work, and move out of the mind numbingly boring role I have been doing for two years now. Two years! Why didn't I realise that I have limited time to waste? (see first point, above)

I seem to be on a mission to ensure that I am as fat as possible before summer arrives. I just polished off a bag of crisps and a Cherry Ripe for good measure. Urgh.

I'm all about Australian Idol. Who is my favourite varies from week to week, one thing is for certain though, little Anthony remains cute as a button.

Bye Bye 'Honest John'!

This has been doing the rounds of our email at work...

HOW TO START YOUR DAY WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE:

1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.
2. Name it "John Howard"
3. Send it to the recycle bin. (the bin must be empty prior to this step)
4. Empty the recycle bin.
5. Your computer will ask you: "Do you really want to get rid of "John Howard"?*
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button.
7. Repeat, as required.

I guess you could easily substitute "George W Bush" for "John Howard" and it would still be strangely satisfying.

* Australian Prime Minister, John Howard.

These Clowns Are Scarier Than Anything Stephen King Ever Dreamt Up.

I understand the expression 'walk with the Lord', but should they be doing it in enormous clown shoes?

[link via the always amusing Mimi Smartypants]

Weekend In A Nutshell

The upside:

My new Esprit shirt. Summery, 'Slim Fit' and not stretched too tight across the belly = next weekend Birthday Party Wear. Teamed with the Package Enhancement Jeans it should be some potent mojo.

Sunday afternoon birthday get together for Karrine at her house. It rained, so the courtyard was off limits but I had a good time, even without alcohol. I know, shock.

Tearing up during the Wildcards show of 'Australian Idol'. Although this made me hate myself, thoroughly.

A tamed backyard. Weeds be gone!

The downside:

Still fat. Well, not FAT!, but fat. You know what I'm saying?

How hard can it be to buy a damn tube of John Frieda's 'Upbeat' styling cream in this godforsakentown?!

'Metro Fit' shirts. Whatthefuh? Apparently it is New Urban Speak for slim fitting. (Although this has given me a new euphemism to use. "I feel fat, I used to be so 'metro' you know?" or "Get her, she's smoking Virginia Metros.")

Beam Me Up, Martha

I just sprayed water all over my keyboard, and almost peed myself with hysterics.

Ever thought the USS Enterprise needed something like decoupaged end tables to freshen it up? Well then you need to go here and select 'Galactic Martha'.

Daunted, Thy Name Art Andrew

Last night I attended the information night for the second module of the two year Discovering Buddhism course I've started.

In amongst the notes and reading material lists etc that I collected last night was a topics and requirements list for the rest of the two year course. I was reading it with interest, thinking to myself 'dum dee dum, this looks interesting, la la la' when I got to the outline of last couple of modules...

Um, do the words three month retreat and 100,000 prostrations sound as daunting to you as they do to me? Oh cool, just checking.

So far just doing the first module and a one day retreat has been quite transformative, so I'm hoping that by the time I get to those two last modules I'm quite a different person. Because I can tell that where I am now, three months of retreat sounds hellishly hard.

Vogon Spam Poetry

Tucked into the spam poem in a delightful little email from Valerie Jarvis (offering me "NO MORE PAYING For Your Pay-Per-View" - thanks Val!) was this little gem:

"prick hierarchal inland alderman"

Who is this alderman who lives inland, and why is he such a heirarchal prick?

At Least It Isn't That Weird "Izzy" Thing From The Atlanta Games

Last night we were discussing the Olympic mascots, and nobody could actually name or describe what they were this time around. Now I know why.

Is it just me, or are they a little, you know, ugly?

Given that the current Greek Olympian scandal, and the number of drug cheats that have already been caught, this piece of hyperbole seems particularly amusing:

"They are two children who show us, through their love of play and their love of the game, that the important thing is taking part and not the result."

Yeah, right.

Me, In A Nutshell

It has been years since I did a Myers-Briggs personality test, so long ago in fact that I don't even remember what I tested as. Apparently, as of today I am:

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Take Free Myers-Briggs Personality Test

I'd say that come pretty close to the truth.

Can I Expense That?

The accounting firm I work for has a pornographer as a client, who publishes a couple of... well let's call them 'niche market' magazines.

Does anyone else think that Phone Sex as an expense account is amusing? OK, just checking.

Things To Be Thankful For

On Friday the 13th, here's a list of things I'm thankful for today:

Last night's packed out (and thoroughly demented) Talent Show at the Newtown Hotel, hosted by the ever popular Miss Vanessa Wagner. Drag with humour and a conscience y'all.

Mikey's company. Welcome back to Sydney pet, I couldn't ask for a better ex boyfriend.

L'Occitane lemon verbena soap. It may not be summer yet, but it can sure as damn well smell like it.

Speaking of the change of seasons, there is a definite whiff of Spring in the air. Huzzah.

...and because every coin has a flip side, today I'm not so happy about:

Headaches, and I wasn't even drinking alcohol last night.

My previously mentioned Arch Nemesis, City Rail. To quote my friend Meaghan, they couldn't organise a fuck in a brewery, or a piss-up in a brothel.

I'm Changing My Name To 'Lance'

My sweet, sweet ex boyfriend is buying me a bicycle for my upcoming 40th birthday! I'm very excited about the whole thing, I mean there will be shoes, a hat (of sorts) and some slick cycle drag to be had. I am always, and ever will be, about the accessories. We started looking at some bikes, and it looks like I'll be getting something seriously sleek and light. I'm not worthy.

One thing I had never thought about this whole bike purchasing thing, some of the salesmen are obviously keen cyclists themselves, and we are talking high hotness quotient.

The only problem is, I have never even tried to drive a car and haven't ridden a bike for something like 10 years or more. I'm guessing it might be a good idea to learn the road rules. I'm a little paranoid about riding on the busy streets of Sydney, but I figure I'll take it easy at first and not tackle the busy streets if I can help it.

If you see someone on a cool looking bike nervously trying to figure out who has the right of way, be sure and say 'Hi' won't you.

Stay Within The Lines, George

Hey, I just discovered what I want for my birthday!

[link via Sturtle]

Stylin!

In the market for some stylish new threads?

The only problem is, I can't decide which look is more me. Pimp or Ho? Discuss.