The Single Most Compelling Thing I Can Say

Featured in the Yes and Yes Choose Your Own Adventure Guidebook

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:32:15 +1100

A little while ago, Sarah from Yes and Yes asked to interview me about my WWOOFing experiences for a little e-book she was putting together. Little, huh! So proud to be part of this of this comprehensive career-crisis guide.

If you too are having a peak-out about your career/life-in-general, you may be interested in downloading the book. Behold, the appropriate link here.

And this is why I travel.

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:57:46 +1000

And this is why I travel.

Photo

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:06:41 +1000

The Real World - What I Have Learnt About Talking About Poo

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:23:09 +1000

I’m back in the real world, and I’m slowly re-learning a few things. People of the real world don’t talk about their poo all the time. People of the real world tend to keep their bodily functions to themselves.

In fact, they look at you in a rather strangely as you snort with joy, glorifying “that” scene in Bridesmaids with how it reminds you of that time in Guatemala the bus screamed to a stop so that American girl could drop her guts in the middle of the highway. And ha! What about the time I pooed so much carrot was the only thing coming out, even though I couldn’t remember the last time I even ate a carrot? That was a fun day in hospital. And then there was that bloke we met and his ultimate Dehli belly story…Good times, good times.

”***”

People of the real world may talk about gluten intolerance, and how it makes them “really sick” but when they’re getting to the good bit - you know, the gory details - they stop. They draw the line. They don’t talk about colour, consistency, frequency. They don’t talk about self-medicating, which slipped-over-the-counter antibotics work best, the fine balance between halting the stream with Gastrostop and not taking a dump for five days. They don’t return from the dunny crowing over the first solid floater in three months.

So yet another reminder of a year on the road gets packed away in the cupboard. Along with my passport, pack, sleeping bag liner - there goes my gastro first aid kit. And my acceptance of poo as a conversation filler shall be tidily placed on the shelf until the time has come to travel again. Transitioning from traveller to person of the real world, step-by-step.

One Last Family Holiday

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:15:00 +1000

Mum had grand plans for Our Last Family Holiday Together and collectively, between all five of us, we tried to make it work. Dad dried the cows off in time, Robbie got off work, and Mum readily supplied her credit card for swiping by her travel agent-wannabe; me. But things just had to get difficult.

Ewen’s exams were unshiftable and as focused as I seemed at remaining unemployed…I got a job at the last minute - i.e. the minute that is known as Friday which comes before leaving on a Sunday. Future Boss wanted me straight away, I told him to compromise and give me two weeks in Vietnam.

The great family holiday had unravelled into only one night all together. Poor Mum.

Ewen arrived after the rest of us had been together for a couple of weeks. I feel the need to brief him in on the cusp of his 14 days of fun.

Dad’s 40 year old fillings are falling out. With a plop of the soup he is enjoying to a “Fuck! Not another one!” from the bathroom, the giant, silver balls of [lead?] are coming unstuck one by one. I enjoy his surprise at every single one.
Mum has discovered that Facebook is not approved by Vietnam’s commie governement. She freaked out, then payed for a tool to unlock it. A happy ending to a potential disaster.
Robbie turns out to be a master bargainer. You watch in wonder as he screws that little old lady down to such an unspeakable price, then he walks away so she takes it even lower. I’m embarrassed, but at the same time, love it.
Alternatively, I got ripped off royally but a bloke “fixing” my Birkenstocks. In my defence, I had just woken up and I was Robbie-less at the time. I payed about $20 for some joker to glue some bicycle tyre to the bottom of my sandal.
And finally, Travelling With Your Parents really is different to Just Travelling. They pay that extra $10 and we all get to stay in a nice room! With a proper flushing toilet! And air-conditioning! A little difficult for my backpacker’s brain to wrap itself around, but something it got used to rather quickly.

I have so many stories and photos to come! Thanks for sticking with me during this crazy time - I’m slowly getting around to filling you in!

***MUM’S EDIT***

Another thing that’s different about Travelling With Parents™? They pull you up on the facts. Wow, talk about killing my blo-jo (short for blogging-mojo, you dirty bugger!).

Spectacular Jumping Crocs

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:02:06 +1000

Let the name speak for itself, eh? With a choice between The Original Jumping Crocs Cruise and The Spectacular Jumping Crocs Cruise we went not only for the one with the awesome name, but the one that was $5 cheaper and reccommended by Dave at the Window to the Wetlands Visitor Centre.

Oh, so glad we did! Spectacular was down the end of a 2km dirt road which the tour buses obviously don’t like. Turning up for the 11am tour and there was only five other tourists there! We got to go out in their smaller boat (closer to crocs!) but go further up river than normal for a longer tour seeing no one was in a rush.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I first heard of the concept of a Jumping Croc tour, I thought the tour company would have three or so crocs trained to come up to the boat, snap wildly at a hunk of meat and that would be that. Five second photo op, please buy one of our much better photos at the kiosk.

Even as we first trooped onto the boat, our young South African girl guide (another unexpected - I thought the tour guide would be a Steve Irwin incarnate) pointed out not one, but FOUR crocs sunning themselves on the banks closeby! Turns out we had chosen the perfect time and day for a tour, the tide was low, exposing plenty of muddy bank and it was just the time of day where the crocodiles had enough energy to move into the sun, but not enough to go swimming too much. As we motored up river, we saw tens of, nay HUNDREDS! of, crocodiles sunbaking and swimming - they were everywhere! We saw one particulalry massive male and managed to get the boat right up close to where he lazily eyed us off the bank. Holy bedjeezus, I’m not getting any closer to that dinosaur, thanks!

It was so nice to be reassured that these crocodiles were indeed wild animals. Some didn’t mind us coming close because they were used to the boats, but others skittered off straight away.

When it finally got to the feeding and therefore jumping part of the trip, we slowed down and the assistant/Meat Dangling Lady plopped some buffalo(!) meat into the water, from where in hung off a rather long stick. Some of the crocs that have learned that boat motor plus a slopping sound equals food would cruise on over, but it wasn’t a huge roar and gulp. The crocodiles would take their time and swim around a bit, and once they had decided they would like a bite, the Meat Dangling Lady would keep it just out of reach twice before feeding the croc on it’s third jump. I was so surprised at the grace and control the animals had when jumping out of the water - it was so calm and gentle, yet violent as the jaws finally cracked down on the meaty bones.

Another highlight was the amount of birds spotted along the way. We fed some circling kites by throwing them pieces of lamb but the best was a huge male sea eagle who apprently has chicks in his nest. He wasn’t after a little chunk of lamb, so the Meat Dangling Lady tied some buffalo to the stick and held it high off the side of the boat. The eagle swooped down to us to grab his prize and the spread of the wings so close was just magic. Arthur River Cruise, eat your heart out!

W-w-wicked! Backpacking Aussie Style

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:29:00 +1000

As alluded to last week, Bridget, Lyn and I spent five days camper-vanning around the top end of this grand country of ours. We set up in friend’s driveways in Darwin, drank gas cooker coffee within spitting distance of Florence Falls and were eaten alive by mozzies in Kakadu National Park. We swam in waterholes, picked up a foot infection from said waterholes (me - of course. A popped blister went septic pretty fast in the tropics! Nothing a round of anti-biotics couldn’t fix though). We saw rock art that looked just like a kangaroo tea towel and Bridget dropped a doughie on a real kangaroo’s head one early morning drive. We saw a little of Litchfield, a little of Kakadu and have a lot of motivation to come back and do it all again some day! To say that hiring a obnoxiously painted van was simply a fine experience of backpacking Australia is not enthusiastic enough.

After Cheap Az Travel quoted us $700 p/p to “do” the northern Northern Territory as part of an organised tour and we bawlked, they then suggested hiring a Wicked Camper. I always thought hiring a vehicle would be way out of my budget, but I guess that’s why Wicked are so popular with the cool kids - they do it stingy style.

Before we picked our van up, Bridget was afraid of what would be written on the back of ours - Wicked are infamous for the dirty sayings graffittied on their van’s rear ends. I laughed when we first walked around the back of ours. A match made in heaven?

We got our a/c van (a wise, wise decision) for a bit over $50 a day. Chuck in a couple of tanks of petrol, some food and a slab of beer - that’s pretty cheap! Especially when you consider we would have been paying $30 a night to stay in a dorm in Darwin anyway. There was enough seating in the van for three people, mattresses and camp chairs for all of us, an esky, a kitted-out kitchen complete with gas stove. A quick stop at the Oppie for pillows and cases and we were set!

I wish dearly I had have bunged in a blanket at that point - the first couple of nights were a bit colder than expected. The NT News certainly agreed - Friday’s headline read, “We Told You It Was Bloody Cold: DARWIN WOMAN GETS HYPOTHERMIA”. Well, it did get down to the shocking temperature of 16 degrees! Bridget must have been terrified to wake up on the first night to find me in a foam sandwich - I had pulled the spare mattress over me in bid to keep the chill off.

We were pretty impressed with ourselves for not over catering - a first in camping history, I’m sure! Our new favourite car-camping has to be a bag of stir-fry veggies, cous cous and a dollop of pesto. Yummo! Those Robert Timms coffee bags are also a lifesaver. Instant, but not in a butcher’s International Roast kind of way. Sitting around the gas cooker, next to the water in the pink light lovliness of a Northern Territory evening - pure bliss.

Wicked camper-vanning through the Top End.

Thu, 26 May 2011 15:17:02 +1000

Wicked camper-vanning through the Top End.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Fri, 20 May 2011 11:53:00 +1000

Considering I love examining (and subsequently tearing apart) other people’s packing lists, I thought it would only be appropriate to put mine up here for the killing. I’ve had fun packing this time around - I’ve learned heaps about what I actually need (vs. want to lug about!) after our RTW lat year. This trip is all about the hotness, and packing for warm weather is so much funner than packing for all conditions. The biggest challenge this time around is my aim to be fully-loike carry-on. Partly because I stuffed up my Darwin—>Melbourne leg and didn’t book for any luggage, and partly because I’m interested in seeing how difficult it would be to survive on less than 10kg=56cmx36cmx23cm.

What you see above, from right to left is: 1xdress, 1xhippie pants ($1 at the op-shop after some other person’s visit to SE Asia!), shortsx2 (one pair will potentially be thrown out after Darwin because the arse is pretty much ripped out), 1xblack stretchy skirt/boob tube, 1xjammie-shorts, high-top sneakers, Birkenstocks (if stinky after ten months of constant wear, I recommend cleaning them with a nail brush and some wool wash. I can’t stop sniffing mine), 2xmerino wool singlets (go Target! $13 for merino is a revelation!), 1xpolka dot shirt (sleeves=good for Vietnamese temples), 1xflowy top/short dress thing, 1xlong sleeve light cotton top. Clothes to wear on the chilly night in transit at Tullamarine: 1xmerino top, 1xmerino leggings, 1xlong skirt, 1xsilk top, 1xpurple cardigan, 1x cotton scarf to double as a sarong. Other than that (rather extensive list now I write it down!) I’ve got a couple of bikinis, ten pairs of knickers (you can never have too many pairs of underpants!), medical kit, cords’n’chargers, a couple of books, head torch, sleep-silk, iPod Touch. Oh, and my toiletries bag. That will contain a few of my favourite travel products like Moroccan Oil and some teeny-tiny sunscreens.

There are a couple of themes going on here. One is: I embrace natural fibres. Merino and silk are magical - they keep you warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s warm. Plus they hardly hold any stink which is perfect for warmer climates. Give tops a hang overnight and they’ll be ready to go again. And if I need to wash them, the singlets in particular are quite light and should dry out much easier than a cotton t-shirt.

Two: layer, layer, layer. I have packed a lot of different pieces of clothing. It’s a long list, as typed out above, but most items pack down small and are light - with the intention of layering them all together. Every piece of clothing (in my crazy dress sense of an opinion!) matches with everything else and can be worn in multiple combinations.

Three: I wear clothes that make me happy! I know I’ve waxed on about this before, but I cannot fathom why those people that have special travel wardrobes. All that high-tech, quick-dry, khaki coloured stuff - does it really make for a more comfortable trip than a regular singlet top and shorts? If you choose your fibres right (see above!) and shop in the right places (oh op-shop, you know I love you!) you can have a functional, good-looking wardrobe that’s cheap, too!

I like bright clothes. I wear bright clothes at home. I’m going to wear bright clothes in Darwin and Vietnam. As I did in Istanbul, Vancouver and Honduras. If my bright clothes do not suffice, I will buy some bright, appropriate clothes wherever I’m at on the road. Nothing stands out more than a traveller in a vented shirt. Always remember that.

This brings me to the bit that gets me back to that voyeuristic habit of looking at other people’s packing. It is a personal choice and I know not everyone is going to agree with what I’ve said here. I don’t mind too much what you want to wear either, I just like to have a look and reflect on what works for me. Just don’t be the person in pure North Face, lifting your eyebrows at me and I promise not to say anything about your “practical” pants and their bottom-flattery. Deal?

Could I cut it down more? Most certainly. Do I want to? Not really. I want to have more than one option to wear to the pub in Darwin. I really need that beer now!

Things that make me happy, #377: Nails that match my dress and...

Fri, 13 May 2011 13:48:21 +1000

Things that make me happy, #377: Nails that match my dress and my boots.

I must be a real blogger now that I’m posting outfit shots and my DIY leopard print nails. A proud day, a proud day…

New iPod Cover A Day

Fri, 13 May 2011 13:03:38 +1000

As much as I love the semi-pro sewing blogs like Casey’s Elegant Musings and Gertie’s New Blog For Better Sewing, sometimes (most of the time) a girl (me) just wants something fun to wear now, without the wank of a muslin and french seams. [“Look at my French seams, aren’t they lovely?!” THEY’RE ON THE INSIDE OF YOUR SKIRT, NO ONE GIVES A SHIT.] It’s kind of obvious then, that one of my new favourite blogs is New Dress A Day.

Marisa’s writing style and attitude is so refreshing to read. She’s a hack-it-off, pin-it-up, chuck-it-in-a-dye-bath sewer, just like me! And also just like me, she loves the tacky and gaudy and specialises in making something hideously 80’s into something, well, wearable. She began her blog 18 months ago with the idea of refashioning a dress every day for a year with the budget of $365. Meaning she could spend $1 on something from a charity store, or alter an existing piece from her wardrobe. In this second year, after much success, Marisa’s now accepting donated dresses from all over the United States. After so many alterations, with the most common being to unpick awful shoulder pads, Marisa recently had a “Shoulder Pad Week” and made a stack of projects using all those removed pieces.

I found this polyester-puppy on the $1 rack outside the North Hobart op-shop last week. Halfway through making it into a shirt and skirt (who else is loving pleats being back in fashion?!) when I was inspired by the chunky pink shoulder pads.

I sandwiched some pretty fabric, a zip and two shoulder pads together (remember your reverse/right sides) and roughly sewed it all up. I should have referred to this tutorial to help with zip insertion; silly Lindsey swore alot when she realised she had sewed the zip closed! After trimming all the crusty bits evenly, I turned it inside out and voila! A new case for my new ‘pod. Love a ten minute distraction!

Steamed Pork Buns - Alice, this is for you!

Wed, 11 May 2011 11:53:00 +1000

If you want knitted, not steamed buns look at Etsy shop, thetokicafe.

New obsession: Chinese steamed pork buns, thanks to Adrian for the introduction into making my own. We made some for tea at Alice and Rich’s, and after much begging (the most lady-like begging) of Alice’s, here is the recipe:

Steamed Pork Buns - Adapted from the Women’s Weekly Finger Food recipe

15g dry yeast
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 cup SR flour
30g lard (I used melted butter)

Filling
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp (and some) chopped spring onions
2 tsp cornflour
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Hoi Sin sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine
250g chopped Chinese BBQ pork (Chinese spare rib sauce Char Su, and two meaty pork forequarter chops)

If making your own BBQ pork, marinate pork chops in plenty of Char Su for at least a couple of hours. If slightly organised, unlike me, you could marinate them overnight. Slop the chops and the marinade into a baking dish and bake on 180 degrees for about 45 minutes, turning the chops and basting with marinade after 20 minutes. Let cool and chop into smallish pieces. Keep the marinade, especially the really syrupy stuff.

Combine yeast, 1/3 cup of the water and 2 tsp of the sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of the plain flour and cover with a clean tea towel. Stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.

Combine remaining sugar and flours in a large bowl, stir in remaining water, lard or butter and yeast mixture then mix into a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and stand in warm place for about an hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, make bun filling. Heat oil in pan, add spring onions and ginger and stir over heat for a minute. Stir in blended water and cornflour, then sauces, sugar, sherry and pork. Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens, then remove from heat and let cool.

Knead dough until smooth, and divide into 40 or so pieces. Each ball should be at least the size of a giant gobstopper, but not quite as big as a golf ball. Roll out each ball with rolling pin or drinking glass and place a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Gather the edges of the circle together and pinch firmly to seal. Place the pinched side of each ball down on 3cm square pieces of baking paper.

Place buns about 3cm apart in steamer, cover and cook over boiling water for about 10 minutes or until buns are dry to touch.

Enjoy. Not only the yummiest of pork buns, but the accolades of friends and family. :-)

Hipstamatic and Other Fun Travel Photo Apps

Mon, 09 May 2011 13:08:00 +1000

I got an iPod Touch! Thanks Centrelink! And like all good iPod/iPhone purchasers, I downloaded Hipstamatic straight away. What timing too - for the photo-worthy event of Ned coming to Marrawah. I’m a bit tired of trying to convince everyone up here that I really do have a boyfriend and I didn’t just make him up.

While I should be knocking things off my to-do list like organising Vietnam visas, flights and all that jazz I’m having much more fun looking into all the apps I can download onto my new toy.

I am justifying this present to myself for a number of reasons.

1) Simply because I am FANTASTIC at self-justification, expecially when it involves money I do not have.

2) The el cheapo mp3 player I bought as a replacement for last, lost iPod sucks balls and heaps (I am very conscious of saying “heaps” ever since some American told me that Australians say “heaps” heaps. Whatever) of music and games is ESSENTIAL for my upcoming adventures. There’s Darwin, then Vietnam and possibly (as in 87% sure) Canada to live/work. EEeeek! I’m gonna be on planes more than any snakes this season.

3) I really want to blog on this next trip and I’m not taking my computer. Solution? Wireless device with Tumblr downloaded and photo editing apps ready to go-go.

The best thing about the newest generation of iPods? The camera, silly! And all the fun toy camera style photo editing apps that are out there.

My other new faves include PicFrame and Photogene for putting multiple photos together into a single frame and photo editing, respectively.

Aaannndd, speaking of taking fun photos on holidays I saw this post on Photojojo - dicking with disposable cameras. They show the top twenty ways to achieve different effects with a regular disposable camera. Photojojo don’t actually mention penises - that’s my addition. (But if you’re interested, here’s a link to waterproofing your camera using a condom.)

If you’re brave enough to scratch the lens, colour the flash with a Sharpie, throw the entire camera in the pool or cover the lens with a cellophane, you too can get photos like these.

This gets me thinking of Bridget’s road trip from Brisbane to Melbourne where she documented the journey only using one packet of film and her Fuji Instax. What a fantastic travel challenge in the days of digital? Rather than snapping away endlessly and editing later, film forces one into considering each shot. Bridget said she started thinking ahead and planning the next frame, to best capture the mood of the whole adventure.

I shall buy a disposable camera and undertake this challenge. Ten days in Darwin in 24 photos? Indeed. Capturing the perfect croc-snaps-at-chicken-snap without my trusty digital burst feature? Bring it on.

Our "I Do" Do: With Special Guest, Sir Elton John

Mon, 02 May 2011 11:26:55 +1000

Ned, me and his shiny red pants ( I can’t get the promo for Chris Lilley’s Angry Boys out of my head when I think about these pants. Have you seen the black rapper singing the “Balls…balls” song on the ad?) made an appearance at Adrian and Kirsty’s Royal Wedding party on Friday night. The laptop played “Candle in the Wind” and Ned, ahem *ELTON*, hummed the words as we waltzed up the “red carpet” (I place this in inverted commas because I pretty sure the “carpet” was actually the red towel I was sent to bed with as a potential spew rag).
I must remember to get some photos from someone of the rest of the dignified guests - I seemed to have been more focused on hoovering alternate glasses of Pimm’s and champagne to take some of my own. Everyone looked fantastic; glittered and tiared up to the eyeballs. Kirsty kindly lent me her polka dotted wedding dress from 1983 complete with 28 year old booze stains down the front. Obviously a most treasured piece.

Alice found a royal drinking game on the internet with rules along the lines of: when you see the Queen, drink for England, when you see Prince Harry, make a Nazi salute, when you see Camilla, yell “TAMPON”! Needless to say, by the royal kiss we were all rather bleary-eyed - not only from the emotion of romance.

Ned and I slept under the house (much nicer and cosier than it sounds!) and I apparently rolled over during the night and said to Ned, “I’ve never been drunk at Cradle Mountain before.”

“Don’t you mean, in front of my parents?”

“No. Cradle Mountain.”

Oh what a night. Can’t wait till Coronation.

Friday Postcard: Peruvian Mountain Kids

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:55:08 +1000

Does anyone else get pissed off by travel blogs and their “Friday Postcard” feature? How bleeding original. And why the hell is it always a Friday? Well guess what?! It’s not even Friday today. Rebel, knowz it.

Ned climbed some amazing mountains over the last two months and took some beautiful photos of incredible landscapes. My favourite picture of the lot though? This one. Fondly know as “The Banjo Kids” - can’t you hear it? For me, it’s all about the comb-overs. And what better way to express my fondness of these kidlets but yet another irritating bloggerism - le sigh!

Tasmania sounds lovely! But have you ever been to Australia?

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 10:19:20 +1000

I love/am terrified at how many people think that Tasmania is a separate country. But in your defense, you ignorant idiot, I guess that maybe I haven’t been to Australia until now. Not to the real Australia.

This will all change at the end of May - Bridget and I have booked tickets to Darwin! Ten days of crocodiles, blazing sun, Akubras and swimming holes. I can’t wait to get my pasty Tassie bits out into that! We’re going to visit Lyn, who’s there for her Med placement and we plan to drive to Katherine for a couple of days too. I want to swim in every croc-less pool possible! Apparently the key is to climb up. Real-crocs aren’t as good at rock clambering as shoe-Crocs. So a stupid name, really.

If you’re willing to hang about the Melbourne airport until 2am, you too can get flights across the country for a measly $169! And if you’re like me, and have worked out you cannot change your Jetstar flight to Bangkok for less that $169, you can cross the country again, twice! Darwin—>Melbourne—>Bangkok. For the geographically challenged out there - that’s just bloody stupid.

What to do with albino beetroot and a bucket of blackberries

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:00:06 +1000

Der, make chutney!

How odd is this white beetroot? It still has pink rings, but none of that lovely purple flesh or juice. Must do some research, but someone was telling me it’s been bred that way, even though Mum and Dad say that they didn’t intend to grow purple-less beetroot. I guess some people don’t like the mess of regular beetroot, but where’s the fun in that?! Thanks to Wilbur who actually isn’t much of a kitchen helper seeing as he won’t eat anything that I drop on the floor. I need a pig. Hear that Wilbur? A PIG.

And here’s the end result! Verdict? I feel I am much better at making labels than the chutney itself. Did anyone tell you how long you have to boil the bastard stuff and it still won’t set?! I’m obviously not as committed as Anger Burger - that crazy chick made real pectin the very first time she jammed!

If ye holdeth more patience than I and just as many beetroots and blackberries, have a crack at this beetroot beaudy or even this blackberry corker. I still really like the concept of making chutney, but rather than going in all trendy next time I might just stick to a tomato relish!

Power Plant: Not Fukishima, But Fukinawesome.

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:57:23 +1000

Last weekend, a group of us (including two “bloody designers, hurry the eff up!”s - Dom and I) went to see Power Plant at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. As a part of the Ten Days on the Island festival, Power Plant was a trippy experiential show of light and sound; using the gardens as a gallery.

Gramophones projected the story of a slice of a tree - the rings of growth making the music.

The Fernery was transformed into something out of Doctor Who. However, I am not confident in comparing it to the tardis or anything else specific to the show. The theme song was always enough to scare the shit out of me so I turned it off before working out what the pinging and laser beams was actually about!

This dress installation was a tad creepy. Especially the little girl’s christening dress. Reminded me of the bonnets of the Female Factory, in that case representing all the women who were put to work/die there in South Hobart. I’m sure these dresses weren’t intended to be so sinister, but illuminated florals? Shush, my overactive imagination!

Another couple of favourites was the lightning tree which lit up with a clapping bang unexpectedly - even watching it and knowing it was coming didn’t stop one jumping a mile! The snails were also v. Cool. This is a kaleidoscopic projection of some lives snails sliming about in a bowl.

Mollie was a bit concerned about the longer-lasting mental effect of the ducks that WERE STILL IN THE POND WITH THE RAGING BALLS OF FIRE. They may seem chilled, but next sunny Sunday afternoon when someone innocently goes to light a cigarette…those ducks are gonna go spastic. Don’t say she didn’t warn you.

Ten Days of fun didn’t end there - Anita and I went to see Stereoscopic at Carnegie - no comment needed as it was obviously awesome with 3D glasses involved! Wow, what a weekend. Thanks to Hobart and all my lovely friends!

Pop Off

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:04:32 +1100

I sent these self-promo party poppers out to a few Creative Directors today.

I know I would quite like to be posted a party popper with a message inside.

Fingers crossed they go off with a bang.

Show Me The Money!

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:00:04 +1100

Andrew, it’s a DEAL! My money has come through! Albeit, not in a shiny gold case or written on a novelty-sized cheque. I would make a customer suggestion to Centrelink if I hadn’t already spent hours in the “satellite office” in Smithton (read, telephone out the back of Service Tas). The brick-lined hovel had a phone, a non-destroyable high school chair and “THIS PLACE SUKS DICK” scrawled on the wall. Nice.

And who says going on the dole isn’t hard work?!