Sunday, December 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Looking back might give you a sore neck, but there's something to be said for the clarity in hindsight.
I've had my eyes checked and checked again and while it seems that looking forward is always a little on the fuzzy side, I can always pull focus on the past.
So what is there to be said about this focus? That to dismantle the past in an analytical manner would be to dangerously tread the road already travelled. But to use this clarity as an educational tool to develop one's sense of direction for the future might not be an entire futile exercise...
If you want to know whats in your future, look to your past and find the wrong right turns when you should have taken a left, and instead of regretting these situations, and wishing like Cher, you could turn back time... use your inner nav man to get back on track.
I for one do not regret those things that I have done, but those that I did not do. And by going all Marty McFly, I have gone back to the future to make the world a better place in times to come.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
So here we are at the beginning of another 365 days (ok I cheated, because Ididnt post this on the 1st, so letssplit the difference and call it around 351.5 days) and all I see around me is a whole lot of doom and gloom.
So while we are about to stroll down the long highway that will be 2009, facing the thought of economic recession, increasing unemployment rates, global warming crises and such, lets give our outlook a lift, and embrace denial in 2009 - in an indignant, not ignorant fashion.
In this honor, I present you with a quick few eco(nomically friendly) tips to make life simply fine in 2009.
BECOME A RECESSIONISTA
Transport yourself back to the 1930's - pre depression America. Drape yourself in head to toe black. Drop your hemlines and switch to simple, classic style. Make accessories your statement - not your shoes. And dont spend your precious pennies on the 'it' bag... take a stand and carry a green bag, thefashion item du jour and social-conscience easing alternative.
BOTTLE UP YOUR FEELINGS
And I dont mean in an "I'm going to crack and need to see a shrink immediately" kind of way. Bottle them up metaphorically. Eg: You know that feeling you get when you walk out into a beautiful warm patch of sun and your whole body relaxes and pulses with the glow of its rays? Suddenly you feel free, uninhibited, and undeniably happy? Well, get a metaphorical bottle and pop that glow inside it; those thoughts and feelings, and save them for a rainy day. Who knows when you might need to refer to them. And the big bonus - bottling up your feelings costs nothing!
BRING ON THE BORED GAMES
When the pay cheque is not in, and you cant instantly gratify yourself with the latest blockbuster flick or glossy magazine, get out the board (or really really bored games). There's nothing like a bit of cleaning up in Monopoly by swooping on Mayfair and Park lane to make you feel emotionally richer!
POKE SOMEONE
You know what I am talking about! In this grand era of digital intimacy, be brave. Poke the person you havent spoken to in a while on facebook. Catch up on the latest goings on in other peoples lives. Heck, why not even make an excuse to go out and have an old fashioned chin wag.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
So I hate to admit this incredibly cred-stripping fact, but lately I have been developing a penchant for the old art and practice of scrapbooking (I know! I know! Say nothing) And when I talk about scrapbookings, I am talking about the old school rip, clip and paste kind. Not the fancy new make-your-own hardcover book with puff paint and stickered embellishment type.
And what I discovered in this cut and paste frenzy is that there is a great deal to be said, or rather that is currently unsaid about the modern muse. What historically is considered to be (according to dictionary.com and Greek Mythology) "any goddess presiding over particular art" has somehow developed into a far more intangible concept rather than simply a being.
By this I mean that, up to my ears in magazine clippings, yellowing pieces of paper and polaroid pictures, I discovered that the modern muse is in fact, many things. It can be described as a sound, an item, a brand, a thought, a general feeling, words, pictures, music. Get where I am coming from? To attempt to define a muse or something muse-worthy would probably create a chasm of never-ending adjectives. I wonder if this is where the word amusing came from?
So, surrounded by all that I find muse-worthy, I decided it appropriate to start a collection (aka aforementioned scrapbook) of all these things to refer to in future bouts of uninspired thought. This collection includes some of the following oddities:
A spotted and fluffy feather
These things along with many other strange but wonderful items and clippings adhered to blank pages with the assistance of a tube of uhu glue make the perfect one-stop-shop when it comes to inspiration.
Take the picture I have posted here as an example. Its a photo of Natasha Poly, taking a photo. Not that Natasha is the defining quality that makes this photo something to muse upon. The beauty of this image is the fill-in-the-gaps experience that one gets while viewing it and the interpretations which eventuate as a result. What is she taking a photo of? Who is she? What does she look like? What is she feeling? All these questions simply make me think. On the other side of things, I am involved in a deep and enduring love affair with the muted tones of this picture. It makes me think of buttery cupcake icing, summers at the seaside, and brings back memories of my holiday in New York.
To this end, I have decided that the modern muse is in fact all seeing, all doing, all knowing, nothing saying... kind of god-like or budda-esque if you will. The moern muse is at once intangible, unreachable and indefinable.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Literally. In case you had missed it, in the time I have been away, Obama hit the big time, and his inauguration on January 20 is set to be a star studded affair to rival that of the recent Golden Globes. Think huge ceremony, guards, salutes, parades, speeches, and one hell of a party. Heck, even Oprah has relocated her show to Washington for the entire week.
One thing is for sure, the man knows how to make a speech, and the world will be watching on Tuesday to see if he can come up with something to rival his incredible acceptance speech (which can be seen in 3 parts on You Tube). Somehow I think he might just be able to articulate somewhat better than his predecessor. So here I give you my favorite Top Five Bushisms as we stick the finger up at the old and usher in the new:
"I glance at the headlines just to get a flavor for whats moving. I rarely read the stories and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves"
"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption"
"I just want you to know that when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace"
"Rarely is the question is asked: Is our children learning?"
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people and neither do we"
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Matt Duke. Matty Matt Matt. I want to squeeze your face like your Grandma would. Whats not to love here? He's got the whole "sensitive nice guy" thing down pat. Just makes you want to break the kid. Distracted much? Back on track. There is something else aside from Matt's distinctly commercially viable sound. Hes the kind of guy you want to root for. He just sounds like he's cracked the musical code and has got it together. I am looking forward in anticipation to seeing how he "dirty's up" in the big bold world of rock n roll.
LADY LUCK... OR LUCKY LADYAm I. I have the extreme privilege of being on the recieving end of contact from wonderfully talented people from all over the world on a daily basis to show off thier amazing work. A recent email from UK based illustrator Hennie Haworth led me to her site - and array of beautiful drawings.
Check out her stuff at:
I'm inspired and off to buy a pack of texta's.
A story about the maths that I do know.
No amount of preparation can prepare one for the unexpected.
Timeliness can be described as circumstancial. .A lesson learned is a sum of situation, expectation and appreciation minus anticipation.
Efficiency equals the total sum of energy input minus energy output. If it remains in the positive then it equals efficiency. If it depletes to the negative then it equals time wasted.
Efficacy is the total sum of all parts less energy output (Situation + expectation + appreciation + anticipation + energy input - energy output).
Maths just seems like an easier way to understand things at the moment.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
SAY CHEESE
Once upon a time photos were the way to capture memories and beautiful moments to keep and cherish, and look over in times to come to reminisce and regress upon things that you saw, did, felt or imagined.
But nowadays with the digital revolution, photos are being wasted. I actually feel like people are abusing the cameras they are taking shots on. Perfecting images with photoshop and other like tools, cropping and blurring and having the opportunity to hit the delete button whenever takes fancy.
Don’t get me wrong – we have come leaps and bounds in the fields of photography, and I really appreciate some of these tools that we can use to manipulate and be creative with our images. But I almost feel a sense of empathy for the poor camera. Its hard to explain. But one look at other peoples facebooks and myspaces show the same image taken over and over again – from different angles and in different lights trying to capture the photographers ideal image.
It almost feels like more than half of the worlds images exist as self photos, group party shots, and overly made up images of teen girls at different social soirees. Its boring. I am not into seeing 1200 photos of you, you and mate one, you and mate two, you and mate one and mate two smiling, you and mate one and mate two laughing, you and mate one and mate two falling down drunk.
What I do like to see if one photo of you having a good time, looking perfect or imperfect – whatever the moment encapsulates. One photo of you sharing a special moment with family or friends. One beautiful landscape. One obscure object that when lit from the right angle stirred emotion inside you. Get my drift?
And when I talk about you here. I am talking to the vast majority of you who spend time taking photos for other peoples enjoyment (which seems the driving motivation of the photo albums on places like myspace and facebook). If you are going to share your moments with the world at large, be creative, be individual. Cherish the you that you are, and be proud to share it in all its glory. After all, individuality is what makes you who you are. Don’t be afraid to step outside the boundaries. Don’t feel like you cant break the rules. Do feel like you have something to offer. Do feel proud of your strengths and weaknesses. Do believe that one photo is enough!
I may have traveled way off topic here. But my feelings on the matter are strong. And rightfully so. I bought a new camera recently (the sixth in my growing collection) and I really only take it out when it is warranted. I don’t feel I need to document every single second of my life. I cherish the images that I capture during those rare moments because I believe that I cant get those moments back again.
That’s where the real beauty lies.
Monday, May 19, 2008
VIOLATE OR BE VIOLATED
Got this hilarious email from a friend this week. Apparently he can no longer access my blog due to filtering restrictions. This is the warning page he received.
Not only am I slightly alarmed at this revelation, but I am more than slightly devastated that access to my blog has now been limited to some folks, and that some apparent “god of internet” has deemed my content explicit.
If someone can please point out where on my blog one can find “nudity and risqué” I would very much appreciate this enlightenment.
Meanwhile I am off to compose an email to Fortiguard… whomever they might be to ask them to re-evaluate their concern for the content of my blog.
Standby for further updates
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I HAVENT HAD A GREAT DEAL TO SAY RECENTLY
No harm in that. Its nice going quiet for a while and indulging in fantasy less publicly consuming.
The problem is when you give more, you create more work for yourself in keeping up the momentum. It’s a pendulum like effect. The more it swings, the faster it goes. The fixed point always stays the same – its constant, always there, guaranteed. When you stop it, its not so easy to find the rhythm again.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Art of Humour featuring
Karl De Waal (Qld)
Kim Guthrie (Qld)
Jess Johnson (Vic)
The Long Way Round (UK)
Alasdair Macintyre (Qld)
Jordan Marani (Vic)
Sebastian Moody (Qld)
Takeru Toyokura (Japan)
Martin Wilson (NSW)
May 14 – May 31, 2008
IMAGE ABOVE: KIM GUTHRIE ‘Squash the Arts’ (2007)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Patience
-noun
1. the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like
2. an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay
3. quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; dilligence
Impatient
-adjective
1. not patient; not accepting delay, opposition, pain etc., with calm or patience
2. indicating lack of patience
3. restless in desire or expectation; eagerly desirous
Today I am officially struggling with the concept of patience. On the one hand, patience (as described above on dictionary.com) seems to convey that one is calm, even tempered, diligent and acting without complaint. I can confidently state that I am this right now.
On the other hand, impatience is described as restless in desire or expectation and eagerly desirous (note these positive statements that endeavor to describe a negative connotation). I also seem to display these characteristics at the moment.
So what am I?
Patient or Impatient?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
WORKDAY WORRIES
Seemingly unimportant but nontheless unanswered questions I come across on a daily basis.
Does ANYONE ever actually use the ever-present half jug of lukewarm pre-frothed milk that a colleague has thoughtfully left behind after making their last brew? (disclaimer: only relevant for those sophisticated workplaces with a milk frothing facility on their coffee machine)
Why is it that when you copy and paste a colleagues EXACT email signature into your own outlook signature editing tool to use as a template, the formatting always messes up and you get double spaced lines that cannot even be rectified by using the “advanced” editing tool?
Why do people seem to use the important/urgent red flag tool in outlook to mark emails with subject lines like “What are you doing for lunch?”
Why is it that you can ask all day for something to happen but it simply never will. But as soon as you want to delay something, it suddenly becomes a priority to everyone else?
Monday, April 28, 2008
IS BLOGGING THE NEW BLACK?
After launching into this thing with gusto, I have come to a frighteningly grinding halt. But it must be said now that blogging makes me feel fundamentally happy. And satisifed. To a degree where I will actually finish this entry, unlike many others written recently that haven’t made it past the “publish post” button.
However. (And there is always a however). I have suddenly developed some anxieties about this sweet blog o mine. Sure, its been a great life changing experience to publicly post my ramblings. But now I have “friends” blagging on about the blog that I am blogging on. And that makes me positively sick with fear.
Like any first time experience - I find myself wondering if my blog is too vain. Was recent entry too long, too short, too fast, too slow? What can I do to make the reader feel better? Does the reader really care about me? Will the reader still love me in the morning? Will the reader come back for more? And, should I talk dirty? Surely the lighthearted-ness is something that readers can see through and share in my sense of humor no?
But no – communication without context is actually harder than I thought. Its interesting shit to me (that which I muse upon) – but is it to you? I am not seeking any form of approval here. That’s not what this is about. But honestly, living in the techno-savvy world I am in – I can see you readers out there – the ones that spend time here, and keep popping back for more and I get a little kick out of you. But the trouble is – I don’t know who you are. Dont leave me feeling dirty and used. Its like a one night stand and I dont know your name. I cant get no satifaction.
If blogging is the new black. And blagging on blogs about anything blog-worthy is blog-tastic, then I’m going to keep doing what I am doing.
But it would most definitely be cool if you still loved me tomorrow…
