the old and the orange

I must be in a cupboardy mood. I'm quite taken with this hazardous orange arrangement. It's one of the images from Sandra Juto's photo documentary of her Great Uncle's abandoned house.

Darling buds

Another post over at DesignSponge about my favourite flower..

Sehnsucht

Read this lovely post from Ali reflecting on Rilke, transcendence and loneliness.

It makes me miss German. I studied it until Year 12, and wish I had persisted. The language always made sense to me, and while somewhat harsh, had a deep earthiness that I liked.

Hello cupboard of my dreams

Growing up I hated pastels. I was a primary colours kind of girl. These days though, I'm quite fond of the softer shades. In moderation. And this cupboard? Well, it speaks for itself!

via the design files

On Being

It occurred to me today how glorious it is to see someone doing that which they are gifted in. Just this Monday I saw the Italian opera, La Traviata at the Opera House– the tickets were a Christmas present from Dad. The main thrill of the night was sitting in awe at the power of the singers' voices. Their control and range of expression was beautiful, astonishing.

Today, I sat in a cafe and watched the owner, napkin in hand, deliver food and drinks to tables with a smile, sitting down for coffee and a chat with regulars. Nothing was too much trouble. He sat legs crossed, sweat dripping from his brow, absolutely loving his conversation with an old man and his dog. He was in his element. This was his gig – the gig he was born for.

This isn't about talent, this is about being what you are. Oh that I would be more of the time!

image: missionfantastic

Thankfulness and Australia Day

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels uneasy celebrating the colonisation of Australia today. I agree with Tom Keneally that we could move the current holiday to another time of year, with a different sentiment and it might make today less painful and insulting for indigenous Australians.

Really though, I think it comes down to asking ourselves what Australia Day is actually about. Most people see it as a day off work to get drunk with their mates, or an excuse for a barbecue. As a culture we don't really know what we're celebrating, except our existence. But our existence came at a cost, and that should be recognised.

If we were American, today might be a Thanksgiving equivalent - a moment to stop and think about all that we're thankful for - freedom, democracy, etc. We don't have another time of year were we reflect on these things, except maybe ANZAC day, although that too is fraught. So I think this Australia Day, I'm just going to be thankful, but in the knowledge that my existence, freedom and security have come at a cost, and recognising the legacy of the past is still alive and well.

* image: today's google header

whale

via fffound

The Brightest Star

Well from a million posts in a week to none.. sorry about that.

I've been busy gallivanting around our country to see the Musee D'Orsay exhibition in Canberra and to see a friend get married at Lake Macquarie in 40 degree heat...

I also finally saw Bright Star last week. I loved it. I read a review in the Guardian which said Jane Campion had attempted to mirror the beauty of Keats' poetry in her film. I agree wholeheartedly. Greig Fraser's photography was so lush, and the characters so fragile. Watching the film was like standing in a hot house surrounded by butterflies (something of a motif in the story).

I'd love to see it again, to take it all in, slowly. More slowly than before. I saw an ad for it in the paper this morning, and even just seeing the picture of Fanny and John made me feel teary - now that's a good movie!

The whole thing made me want to read Andrew Motion's biography of Keats (on which the film was based). Motion is one of my favourite poets, and his biography is iconic, although thicker than my upper arm, so I doubt I'll actually be able to pick it up, least of all get through it.

sketch: the tree that fanny embroiders on a pillow for keats

why i love Holga cameras (and red tights and rabbit masks)

look at this! creepy awesomeness in a square. by ponysoap

reminds me a bit of frank in donny darko

The dig list

Listening:
Bon Iver
Noah and the Whale
Laura Gibson

Reading:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers
Juliet, Naked - Nick Hornby
The Lieutenant - Kate Grenville

Seeing:
Where the Wild Things Are
Fantastic Mr Fox
Bright Star

Making:
eggs on toast
anything in a wrap
coffee

You??

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Ali has taken the plunge... and revealed all to her reading audience...! Hooray.

I'm look forward to seeing many more bloggers' desks.

You may have noticed

via ffffound

I've become a bit more prolific round here lately. It's because I've gone from working full time, with evening commitments, to casual with few evening commitments.

It's a strange new world I live in, working overnight a few days a week.

So far, there have been probably a few too many games of Phase 10 (why does jo always win??), going to the movies, packing up my old desk, sleeping in, running errands, having a car crash (yes this did happen, im fine - cars ok, but damaged), feeling hot, then cold, then getting caught in the rain (summer), visiting new babies, babysitting children with chicken pox and without, catching up with old friends, blogging, sydney festivalling, writing, thinking, pausing.

It's nice, but weird.

amidst the fluff of this blog

my thoughts and prayers are with Haiti

Which typeface are you?

I am Archer Hairline...!

This is hilarious.

Answer four questions, and you too will know which font you are. (password: character)

Here's the theory behind the test:

Researched over seven years with a team of 23 academics across Eastern Europe, ‘What Type Are You’ asks the four key character questions of our day, analyses your responses in exceptional detail and recommends one of 16 typefaces as a result.

The recommendation is sometimes controversial but always unerringly true. Said one respondent, “At first I felt angry when I was told my type is Pistilli Roman but two weeks later, I was completely reconciled to it. Now I wonder why I ever thought I was a Gill Sans.”

Go to the ‘What Type Are You’ test. Password: character.

The amazing thing is, I only really like Archer Hairline from the options available... amazing...

 

fantastic indeed

I saw Fantastic Mr Fox on cheap tuesday this week - it was rather fun. I love Wes Anderson films, because they're so quirky and fun.

The thing I particularly liked about this one though, was the animation/puppetry. I loved the mixture of the two mediums. It had a very definite aesthetic to it, with retro costuming on the foxes and a colour pallette of orange, brown and yellow. I loved the panoramic birds-eye shots of the farms of Boris Bunce and Bean. Great patterns, even beautiful at times!

The plotline was fun, especially the rivalry between Mr Fox's son, Ash and nephew, Kristofferson. ahh too good.

A making-of book has been released. Here's the colour pallette I was talking about. It's amazing how subconscious these things appear when you're watching the film, but they clearly chose a particular aesthetic.

so suave

Bill Murray's character Badger

these photos via pentagram

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

I'm on Twitter, and one of my favourite people to follow is Tara Moss the model/writer. She has a great blog and muses on writing with humour and insight.

Anyway, this last week she's been calling for writers to submit photos of their workspace, unedited. It's been truly fascinating, especially the gender divide...! Check out her blog: blog.taramoss.com to see the shots.

I thought in the spirit of the post, I'd take a photo of my desk... And I reckon it'd be cool if the bloggers out there did the same-a bit of I'll show u mine if u show me yours.

So to start, I tag ali and bonnie!

Festival First Night

Ali, Jo and I went to the Sydney Festival First Night on the weekend, where the Black Arm Band and Al Green were playing.

I loved the Black Arm Band, they have a great vibe about them, and Dan Sultan is quite the performer. Al was also fabulous (those roses into the audience and his white glove made quite a stir).

The sky was full of bats, and the place was absolutely packed. Here are some photos I took.

the festival stage

Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony

the bats were company

a proud family in front of us

A happy 2010

I should've posted this a few weeks ago - better late than never. I love the teabags and the stapler best.

illustration by Esther Aarts, via grain edit

journalism vs non-fiction

Melbourne writing journal, Meanjin has a blog, Spike, and they have an article up today on the intersection of journalism and non-fiction.

It's really interesting. It's something I've thought about a lot - wondering whether news reporting hinders or helps your creative writing. I think I've decided they have very different purposes, and use different parts of your brain, and so are enjoyable for different reasons. I think writing too much news might kill the creative spark, but it also helps develop concision, a feel for words, sentences, and stories.

Spike also had another good article yesterday revealing J.D Salinger's reluctance to see Catcher in the Rye turned into a film.

tricks of light

some photos taken on my phone lately

Bathroom minstrels

Nick clued me into this eery film clip of Grizzly Bear performing one of their songs in a small Parisian bathroom. It is the perfect soundtrack to the dark of night, I think.

Williamsburg

Utterly beautiful illustration by Sophie Blackall, from her blog Missed Connections, where she illustrates ads from Craiglist where people try to reconnect with strangers they've run into.

via A Cup of Jo

The geometry of style

How cool is this post on Design Sponge about the maths of floristry!!

Also, most awesome bunch of flowers ever.

Britain from above

This is England, from google earth yesterday. So, so cold. Oh to be in the snow right now (perhaps not stuck in it, but in it nonetheless).

Loving this print

via ffffound

don't know the artist

Where the Wild Things Are

Have you seen it?

I loved it - for its pensive introspection, mult-layered psychology, wild monster fantasy land (filmed largely in Victoria, as it happens), cute kid, nice photography, crazy original soundtrack (by Karen O), and awesome font.

However I don't think it's a kids movie.

I also think it raises some important issues about our universal yearning for harmony in community, for eternal happiness, for pleasure and escapism. I'd love to see it again.

Kris' Colour Stripes

This is a fun idea - pulling out the colours in photos to create a unique colour pallette. From Kris' Colour Stripes (via Dear Fii).

I'm on the train on the way to watch Australia vs. Pakistan in the second test at the SCG and it's grey skies.

Dad and I are hoping it doesn't rain and cause too many delays. Im not sure what to expect in terms of the game- we were bowled out yesterday for something criminally small, like127. So we probably will only see pak bat.

Anyway it'll hopefully be a good contest. This blog will be back to normal non-sport coverage soon. This is my second ever post from the I phone... Hopefully the formatting comes out alright.

Hope if you're heading back to work today it's not too painful- at there's not blue skies taunting you outside!

2009: A retrospective

2009 felt like an in-between year for me. A year of working out where my heart is wandering, and how to follow it. A year of growing in love for God and others. A year for learning patience and perserverance. A year for trust and dependence, for joy and sorrow.

In terms of definining moments, it's hard to not think first of hearing my Dad's weak, croaky voice over the phone while I was in Broken Hill on holiday and he was sick in hospital in July. I wasn't sure if he'd still be around by the end of that week, let alone this year. And I'm so thankful he is.

It really was the year for bodily dysfunction when I think about it. There was Dad's illness, then Mum had back surgery, and Dad broke his shoulder only weeks ago. But through it all there was hope and love and growing closer together as a family.

A special time for me was going on a daytrip to the Illawarra/Southern Highlands with Dad earlier in the year - picnicking on the beach, visiting gardens and chatting away as we wound around hills and bends, watching the light cut shadows across the road, flickering silently by.

It was also the year of writing. I began writing poetry again, and submitted to Voiceworks and the John Marsden prize and was accepted for both. I also received a few rejections, but I'm excited about the future and doing a masters of creative writing this year.

Around me, it was the year of babies. Everyone at church is having them, which is lovely. Lots of cuddles and watching balls of flesh turn into little people.

At uni, it was much the same metamorphosis, just a few years ahead. How cool it was to get to know so many beautiful people during my time with Christians in the Media, being so closely knit into the everyday lives of the students and to see them change and grow over the two years.

All in all, it was a hard, but good year.

I hope you too have found time to reflect on the year that was. Wishing you all the best for 2010.

Happy New Year etc

Happy new year all! I've done three shifts over new years, but with a little bit of time for partying in between (and lots of sleep). I think in 2010 I'm hoping to grow in conviction, about a lot of things. And also to be a lover not a hater.

It's quite warm in sydney at the moment, although today's been a bit schizophrenic - giant raindrops were falling from cobalt skies this afternoon, followed by brilliant sunshine and agapantha skies at about 6:30pm. I'm about to go out for a walk to wake up before my last shift this week.

But in the meantime, who'd like to come with me to this place...? Photo by the amazing Sandra Juto, whose blog and photographs I adore.