Spring

life works in cycles
we are forever changing and blossoming
we are extraordinary

What's the Go?

Just an extended update on recent events


As of yesterday I officially finished my first prac! Amazingly I passed. It was definitely a learning experience. There is so much that you find out about yourself when you're thrown into a situation where you're forced to teach groups of teenagers, and all the while you have people judging you on your level of skills and knowledge.


Being a shy person, just speaking to large groups of people on a daily basis was a big step forward for me! So really I don't mind if my delivery got picked on by my mentor or supervisor, or if they tell me I need to work on particular things. I've started to grow. I'll keep on growing. I now have some idea as to what is required for me to be the best I can be :) A little bit of scrutiny can be a good thing in this respect.


Not only did I learn so much about my planning, presence and delivery, I also learnt how much knowledge is out there that I still need to get my little hands on! Books, books and more books. Resources upon resources. Photocopy upon photocopy. I took so many photocopies of resources away with me, I'm going to struggle to go through them. It's incredible. I was so excited to find these little gems and be allowed to take whatever I pleased.


This first teaching prac was jam packed full of inspiration. The work that upperschool students were creating was amazing. I got so many ideas for my own practices from them (mostly because I never studied art in upperschool myself, so have only learnt some mere basics at uni), as well as books I was shown, and first-hand crash-courses - such as the one provided by Trish the technician. She showed me some basics in using watercolours, which was lovely of her. She is an incredible watercolourist / botanical artist and I hope she illustrates magical children books one day!


You know what's terrible... I'd never seen the feathering technique using coloured pencils before a couple of weeks ago at the Year 12 exhibition. So I gave it a try and gave some poor girl a crappy nose and a mong eye, haha.




Today I also went ahead and bought myself some "end of prac" presents



They were expensive, but will be worth it - and I'm so excited about owning them! I had been shown 'The New Acrylics' by the technician / seen it on the bookshelf in the Art Dept. at the school, and it's just packed full of some great techniques and information. So this version will be very useful. As will the 'Complete Painting and Drawing Handbook' for explicitly teaching concepts that I just automatically might go and do in an artwork without thinking about. Some great ideas in it!

So yay. Now I have a week "break" - which is really just me working on boring assignments that are due one on top of the other for the rest of the term, so yay for me and my wonderous uni life. Before I know it, Summer will be around and I'll be turning 21!

Speaking of Summer... Do watch '500 Days of Summer'. Funniest, most devastating movie, ever.

All That Shines

Sometimes we all need a little reminding that

life is full of opportunities and endless possibilities

In the midst of my uni studies, I'm getting the opportunity to work with students with special needs (yet to happen, trying to organise that). I'm also about to go on a Professional Practice at a Catholic college close to home for 3 weeks to learn about the school environment and the rather complex role that teachers play. I get to play teacher!! To all those big kids who once died to play "schools" when they were younger, wanting to get first dibbs on teaching the "class"... Eat your hearts out. I'm insanely anxious and excited all at the same time.

And now that I finally have my drivers license... well! I am looking forward to one hell of a summer. Please come out soon little Sun? And keep me warm?

"We cannot meet or be met if we don't speak up, or take a chance. Let's all boldly talk to new people!" - SARK

If Time Really Was Physical Money (...I'd be rich right now)

I suppose one bonus of being home is that I've actually had time to draw...

original pencil drawing has been photographed + hue, midtone and contrast very slightly adjusted (digitally)

Busted Strings

Tickets to Josh Pyke's Variations Tour go on sale tomorrow, and I'm keen keen keen to get my paws on them! I've never seen this fellow live before, and I believe sooner is always better than later.

His Perth show is going to be held at the Fremantle Arts Centre on November 6 (probably exam time for the good majority of uni students), and I imagine that with the booking fee the price will be somewhere between $45-$50 each.

I figure I'll just buy two and see who waves their hands in the air to be my super-dooper company for the evening :)

I've Heard of Blue Monday

...but why do I get to endure a Blue Tuesday?

I'm still sick with this cold/flu like thing, and I'm really keen to just get better!

Cold n' flu tablets are my best friend at the moment, seeing as they seem to keep me functioning to some degree.

Also enjoying heading out to the cinemas a bit lately, and apparently needing the whole popcorn/chocolate/diet coke experience (hello winter kilos). I've had my dose of magic thanks to finally seeing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with the sistie on the weekend, and as for today... well... with too much shame to name the movie, I was inspired to learn the Hoedown Throwdown. Ohyeah, that's right.

Now all I need is some sleep and to see if I'm ready to go back to work tomorrow afternoon - eek!

Safe & SOUND

Favourite Bands of All Time

• Angus and Julia Stone
• Coldplay
• Gotye (one-man-band?)
• Tool
• Gyroscope
• Karnivool
• The Mars Volta
• MUSE
• A Perfect Circle

When I think of favourites, I think of bands whose CDs I own; who I've listened to over and over in my adolescence; who I still love now and have never managed to get sick of over so many years. For that reason, a lot of bands I do really like haven't made the list (I might not be so well acquainted with them as the ones listed above). A lot of older bands that I appreciate aren't in that main list either, mostly because I've never spent a lot of time listening to those bands - and can't digest that era so well... Otherwise I'd def be mentioning The Beatles and possibly some other classic bands that were the geniuses behind the genres.

I also failed to mention amazing singer/songwriters, as I wasn't sure if they were meant for this list. I'd have to include Jack Johnson, Josh Pyke and Lior. I'm considering adding Missy Higgins and Lisa Mitchell to that list as well.

There's always a little self-revelation that comes from writing these lists, which is what makes me love writing them. Today's lesson: I MUST EXPAND MY MUSIC KNOWLEDGE. I feel terrible to not have a better idea about the music of past eras. Sure, I've heard a good deal of songs thanks to dad, but I've never really sat with them and made time to really get to listen to them. There's a difference between hearing and listening for me. Unfortunately I need to get hold of entire albums to do this, otherwise it just doesn't happen. There's something a little less magic about music downloads on the computer.

Perhaps now's the time to raid a 70s-music CD collection

I Am He As You Are Me...

Image by Fairy-Bluebird @deviantart

"If we do not use fully who we are, then who are we?" - SARK

Difficult To See You In This Light

A series of drawings to come... hopefully; Inspired by recent events.

Lend Me Your Ears

JulyPlaylist

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Little Bribes

BOB EVANS Hand Me Downs

PHOENIX Lisztomania

PETER BJORN & JOHN It Don't Move Me

JOSH PYKE Make You Happy

KARNIVOOL All I Know

JAMIE T Sticks 'N' Stones

YEAH YEAH YEAHS Dull Life

NIRVANA Come As You Are

EMPIRE OF THE SUN Tiger By My Side

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE Dog Days

LADY OF THE SUNSHINE Big Jet Plane

COLDPLAY Yellow

LADYHAWKE Professional Suicide

SARAH BLASKO No Turning Back

LISA MITCHELL Coin Laundry

PORTUGAL THE MAN People Say

PLACEBO For What It's Worth

LYKKE LI Let It Fall

NEW BUFFALO Cheer Me Up Thank You

All of Us Stars

My Most Proud Accomplishments

• Being one of five students out of so many that was chosen to be able to play guitar for years 6 and 7. Ohyes, I was a proud 10 year old.
• Teaching myself to draw
• Being recognised as one of the "star" students in my TAFE course I did a couple of years back! Nerd!
• Getting into uni without my TER and receiving high grades
• Surviving 5 weeks of living alone with my self-centred sister - Being homemaker and cleaning up after somebody else!

Writing this list, I realised that most of the occassions I ever felt much sense of pride were associated with academic achievement, which goes to say a bit about my values. Possibly why I value education so much. Much of this pride was felt in younger years though... such as primary school and highschool, and therefore I didn't feel like I had much to add to this list.

So I'm thinking, I need to start doing more things and experiencing the world so that I actually have things to say about myself! One thing I want to do is start completing art works that I can possibly get into exhibitions etc. Unfortunately, since I'm going back to uni in a couple of weeks to study all education units for the semester, I won't be able to think about doing this until the end of the year. But at least it's something to strive for.

The next thing to do is start saving to travel. I think this would be an accomplishment in itself! The hunger to get out of little old Perth is definitely there though, especially now that I have my parents back from Italy - showing me videos of the beautiful Sicilian landscape and all the rellies! I want to climb hills with the cute old folk with no teeth and animated hand movements dammit!

It probably doesn't help the money-making scheme for me to be home sick from work today, but I think that as long as I know what I want, I will somehow make it happen.

Playing Favourites

nice choice of photo if I say so myself; me&Missy - April '09

I know it's not fair to play favourites amongst the siblings, but I sure am loving my eldest sister Marissa a whole lot right now! This evening she cooked us an amazing Indian curry along with papadums and flat bread (no naan available unfortunately). We probably have Patak's to thank for such a tasty meal, but she did well. To top it off we opened a bottle of wine, and she served me up the best dessert I've had in a long time! Really simple too - Sliced banana, melted Cadbury chocolate + vanilla icecream! So good! Not to mention she cleaned up as well.



How nice it is when family do something special for you ^_^

Where Media Takes My Mind

Favourite TV Shows of All Time

• Buffy The Vampire Slayer
• Merlin
• Scrubs
• Desperate Housewives
• Are You Afraid of the Dark?
• Rugrats
• DuckTales
• Captain Planet and the Planeteers
• Where's Wally?
• Fullhouse
• The O.C.
• Naturally Sadie
• Masterchef
• The Babysitter's Club

and I'm just about sure there are a million other favourites that I just can't think of right now... Always the way!

"You're cheering me up and I'm thanking you"

All creatures have their preferred seasons, and I'd happily say that mine most definitely is not winter. Being a December baby, I crave the sun and warmth and clear blue skies. I can never understand how people enjor the dreary greys, clouds, rain, wind or cold! Perhaps it's British blood, or most likely the obscure desire to pile on mounds of clothing until you're cocooned away from the atmosphere. I'm not fond of this, but I understand that it's a necessity in these cooler months. Therefore I've been looking for the perfect coat to barricade the chilling winds. I'd had no such luck in finding something warm, somewhat aesthetically pleasing, aaand retailed at a decent price... Well, not until yesterday.

I consider yesterday to have been one of the best winter days I've encountered so far in 2009. The rain was on pause, and I took the opportunity to head into town and get some things done, including some shop browsing. And of course browsing leads to trying things on, which leads to me pulling out my eftpos card and leaving the shop with a bag in hand. Ahdear. But! The point is... I finally found a pair of jeans in JeansWest which were marked as being $79.99 (AUS), but I asked about the student discount offer which I saw on the counter. So down to $72 they went. How sweet it is to milk a discount! Haha.

Next stop: Lick. Seriously, if you ever visit Fremantle or Cottesloe (Western Australia), check out this little shop. I love just about everything in there, and it should turn out that after yesterday, I love the staff as well. Just before thinking I was going to turn and leave the shop, I spotted just the kind of coat that I'd had in my mind that I was after all this time! Even bigger bonus, it was only $90, so I tried it on straight away and decided it needed to be purchased.

Now if you check out the site, under 'Stockroom' the manager gives updates on new stock that comes in and the goings on in the shop. You might also see that Annette (the manager) might set a little task for customers to do in order to receive a discount on their purchase. I'd checked the website before leaving home and saw that if you said "Would July to me?" (nice pun!), you could receive 20% off. Very generous! So I asked about quoting this at the counter. While the shop assistant wasn't sure of the task, being as lovely as she was, she was kind enough to call Annette about it - who was apparently very happy that I had checked out their website and completed this little task :)

So not only was I happy to receive (what I consider to be) a wonderful little coat for $72, but also to be reminded of some simple values. I sometimes forget that there are good kind-natured people in the world (for some reason...), the kind that can be bothered doing something for you and just treating you kindly. I also forget that little tasks on your own behalf can brighten somebody else's day in some way, which in turn brightens your own day a whole lot! Maybe I forget because I'm usually the checkout chick trying to please the customer, and mostly remember the bitter customers that cut you down, rather than the lovely ones that appreciate your work and conversation.

Who knew that a good shopping trip would be the pick-me-up I've been looking for this past month...

P.S: Photos of the Sunny Girl coat!

A World Away

image by lunar122192 @ deviantart

"It is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame."

[Edward Rochester] - Charlotte Bronte, 'Jane Eyre'

Paper Dolls, Handmade Dresses

Paola Zakimi dolls

Some months I'll buy my copy of Frankie magazine and never manage to find the time to do any more with it than give it a quick flick-through. I'll end up looking through it again after a month or so and realise all the preciousness I've deprived myself of, as was the case last night.

Having had to plan a lesson on paper-mache sculpture as part of an assignment, the write up on Paola Zakimi's beautiful creatures left me several kinds of awe-inspired. Her lovely paper-mache dolls are calm and quaint, sweet and innocent, filled with the world's secrets that they will never share.

I can admit that I am now stupidly inspired to make a paper-mache piece as one of my winter holiday projects thanks to the wonderful Miss Zakimi

Down the Rabbit Hole

Image by Tim Walker

Yesterday marked the last day of uni/assessments for the semester! While there is a slight sense of freedom, I feel more as though my world has been turned upside down. What with the parents away on holidays, my new role is 'mum' - and who knew it would be more stressful than the piles of uni work I had to get through? I've never been so greatful towards what my mum does for us. Also have never been so annoyed with my sister for being so fantastic at creating mess and not doing anything about it... but that's another story I suppose...


Point is, I'll have more time on my hands (at home at least) now hopefully. So fingers crossed to some more posting-a-happening :)

One Week Later

One week later and a little bit of stress has been taken off my shoulders
one unit from my studies down

One week later and the sun is out again
once again feeling a slight ounce of warmth

One week later, Emiliana Torrini's sweet tunes fill

one little heart ... (lend me your wings, and show me how to fly)

One week later I'm still putting off my drypoint etchings for
one little hand-drawn owl in a small hat takes approximately
one hour to scratch into the surface of the plastic

One week later, and
one week more
I'll be free of several kinds of burdens

Thursday

This day was spent indoors while the wild wind

Thrashed and the rain it crashed;

The weather more vicious than
The day before.

Though I do love the thought of being cosy at home, I

Think that heading out and braving the weather tomorrow may be tough

Things that are making me happy today: forgotten (pretty) blogs, Chris Martin, copious amounts of tea and knitted berets

You know...

My Character Flaws

• I'm a big whinger. I hate whingers. I blame the fact that I'm apart of Gen Y


• I'm awfully shy with people that I don't know very well


• My anxiety tends to get the better of me


• I'm pretty terrible at making conversation, and can therefore make situations a bit awkward for people


• I'll only get things done if I'm in the mood to do it, actually enjoy doing it, or I know I'll be in trouble if I don't...


• My attention span is poor when it comes to doing assignments. Here I am, writing a blog, when my best intentions for the day were to spend the whole time getting an assignment done.


• I'm not as warm and caring as I would like to be with people


• I made a conscious decision a few years back to stop being creative in making jokes. Mostly because, even though they were funny, they were mean. So now I don't know how to use my sense of humour... Don't ask me to tell a joke.


• I'm quiet. My voice does not project.


• I tend to spend more time thinking rather than doing

Who knows, perhaps listing these things will make them seem more insignificant, and therefore I'll be able to get past them easier? These points make me a little sad though, because I've worked towards getting over these things in the past, and even had some progress, but then I go back to uni or something and I'm bitter and twisted all over again.

Lucky the mid-year break is coming up in a few weeks!