What twelve year olds wear

On the weekend I went to a Batmitzvah. This is a religious ceremony held when a Jewish girl turns 12, and is usually followed by a big party. It is a recognition of the girl's coming of age, and gaining responsibility for her decisions and actions. A lot of Jews spend a lot of money on the event, and I joke that they're often as big and expensive as a wedding (which is in fact the truth for some!)

I haven't been around 12 year olds for some time, and I was shocked at what they were wearing. Heels. But not just any heels, super duper high heels. For example:

I am not ashamed to admit that I took a sneaky phone photo of 12 year olds, because I had to capture those heels. They're all wearing heels of around the same height, but you can see the white ones the best.

This Batmitzvah was not the more lavish I have been to, but it was pretty well catered. They had one of those "fill a lolly bag" tables which everyone seems to have these days:

 

There was also a hot chocolate station serving Belgian hot chocolate for dessert (yum!) and a vintage photo booth where you could get some snaps taken. The decorations were very pretty, with the ceiling looking like this:

Being amongst 12 year olds is like entering the jungle. I was standing on the side of the dancefloor minding my own business when I was suddenly kicked in the stomach by a tumbling 12 year old doing a clumsy flip of some sort. I should add that this behaviour ramped up noticeably after the lolly table was opened - I can totally see the virtues of low sugar/additive diets for kids!

One final shocking revelation. Just look at this snap of the "present table":

Sorry about the angle - Blogger is being disagreeable. What you were supposed to notice is not one, but THREE Tiffanys gift bags. I got my first (and only) piece of Tiffany jewellery for my 18th birthday, and even then it was a tiny charm (which I proceeded to loose somewhere in the midst of my cluttered bedroom, which shows how much I cared about it).

Are all twelve year olds today decked out in high heels and Tiffanys, or is this a particularily pretentious bunch?!

Fash and Treasure, Roller Derby & Pumpkin Festival = Jam Packed Weekend

Apologies for my lack of blogging lately - I have been very busy. Work hours have been unusually long, and I have been organising things for my impending departure from Canberra.

If anyone is wondering, no I do not have a job to go to in Perth. I haven't even had time to update my CV or start looking. This is a little nerve racking, but since I will be bunking with the parentals temporarily upon my return (so won't have to pay rent), I have some breathing room.

The weekend was also super busy (but very enjoyable). I am trying to cram in as many 'last minute' Canberra experiences as possible, and spend quality time with the good friends I have made here. They are the sole reason that I'm sad about leaving Canberra, but I have no doubt we'll stay in touch for many years to come. When I buy a house in Perth, I want to have an empty room available for them to come and visit me whenever they want to!

My weekend consisted of:
-Holding a stall at the Fash and Treasure markets at Kingston Old Bus Depot. This was an exhausting day, but it was fun. All in all I made about $160 profit after the stall fees, and got rid of some of my excess clothing and shoes. I didn't make nearly as much as I did at the markets I sold at in Perth (see this post).

-On Saturday night we went to see the Roller Derby (Canberra vs Newcastle). This was SO MUCH
FUN! It's a very family friendly event with space for the kids to run around (and they danced to the band that played at half time - unfortunately it was an awful metal/rock band with no skill which was painful for the rest of us).

It really is like the movie 'Whip It'!

I can now say that I love roller derby... it is such a fun, interesting sport. The cool uniforms and creative player names give it that little extra something, and it's nice to see a woman dominated sport which requires such skill, agility and strength. I would love to get involved myself, but given my history with sporting injuries and my tendency to go a little too far, I think I'd end up leaving a game in an ambulance. It can get pretty violent!

-After roller derby we went to Pho Viet in Belconnen for dinner. They serve up a delcious rare beef pho for $9, which is filling and warming on a chilly winter evening.

-On Sunday morning, we were up bright and early to head to Collector for the annual Pumpkin Festival. I was lamenting my lack of any weekend sleep in, and seriously considered bailing when my alarm went off on Sunday and Bub was still asleep... but I'm glad I went in the end. It's a cute festival with lots of pumpkin related goodies and a genuine country town vibe.

 One of the pumpkin scarecrows dotted around the town. There was also a scarecrow building competition.

 Biggest pumpkin contest, complete with a grumpy little boy to show the relative size of pumpkins ;-)

We had warm pumpkin scones and tea in the community hall which were super delicious:

Lunch was fresh homemade pumpkin soup, and we also bought a pumpkin bread loaf to take home.

I would definitely advise getting to the festival as early as possible. The parking situation was already terrible when we arrived at 10:30am (we had to drive around Canberra picking up people who were car pooling with us, which delayed our departure), and the festival was getting more and more crowded as the day went on (to the extent that it was hard to walk anywhere, and there were massive lines at every food stall). Last year the festival attracted over 5500 people, which is remarkable for a sleepy town that only has around 400 residents.

 Most unusual pumpkin competition

 Pumpkin decoration competition - I love this babushka doll!

 More decorated pumpkins

 Retro pumpkin ware

They also had a pumpkin carving competition (the entries were poor compared to what I have seen made in the USA and Canada), pumpkin scone and pie baking competitions, pumpkin rolling races and plenty of country music. I don't think the facilities were adequate for the crowd, but people were a lot more patient and good humoured than would usually be the case in such a crowded space. Perhaps it was the calming effect that the countryside had on the city folk, or perhaps there were just more gentile country folk in attendance!

All in all, it was a fabulous day out.

I spent Sunday afternoon catching up on housework and laundry, and even had time to list some items on ebay in the evening. Jam packed, I tell you!

Holiday Weekend: Happy Easter

Easter is great for 2 reasons: the chocolate, and the super long weekend. Jesus would approve - it's a fitting way to celebrate his resurrection. My last blog post about Passover and Jewish traditions got me thinking about chocolate, eggs, and bunnies.

No one is really sure where the easter bunny came from. Easter occurs in Spring, and rabbits are symbols of fertility and new life (evoking the resurrection perhaps). Eggs are likewise a symbol of new life, and can be rolled like the rolling of the stone away from Jesus's tomb. There are various other legends which provide colourful explanations for these traditions.

There appears to be no exciting explanation for why we make eggs and bunnies out of chocolate. We don't really need an explanation though, do we? It's simple enough to me that people love chocolate, and any excuse to eat it is a good one, whether there is a logical explanation or not!

My Easter in photos:

 Easter gifts for friends

 Freshly baked homemade hot cross buns

Super easy and cute chocolate crackles with eggs and chicks - a real hit with the kids, and so little effort. My kind of contribution ;-)

Bunny cupcakes - so cute!

Our Sunday lunch was a little under-whelming. The host is known for picking very complicated recipes from cookbooks and excuting them with varied results. Unfortunately this time around she messed up both main course and dessert, and spent the whole meal apologising. I'm certainly not complaining - I'm more than happy to eat whatever is put infront of me if someone else cooks it (LOL).

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend and are refreshed for work tomorrow. I still have another 2 days off in Perth with family, it's blissful!

Holiday Weekend: Happy Passover

Coming from a multi-religious and multi-cultural family has many perks. There are the different types of food, the different customs, festivals and traditions. Passover (or Pesach) is a Jewish festival which commemorates the freedom from slavery of the Jews from the Egyptians. At a Passover 'Seder' (seder literally means 'order'), this story is retold around the dinner table with various symbols and traditions playing a big role in the festivities.

Some of the symbols/traditions are as follows...

#1 The Seder plate

 This contains bitter herbs (symbolising the bitterness of slavery), charoset (a sweet mixture of apple and nuts, which symbolises the mortar used by the slaves), another green vegetable (dipped in salt water, which represents tears), zeroah (a piece of meat, symbolising the Passover sacrifice that was made at the ancient temple) and a hard boiled egg (symbolising another sacrifice, and also mourning).

#2 Matzah

This large cracker like snack is delicious with charoset (see above). It commemorates the haste with which the Jews fled Egypt, they did not have time for their bread to rise and so took with them unleavened bread.

#3 The Haggadah

This is the book containing the order of the festivities, through which the story of Passover is retold. It also contains traditional songs which are sung by the guests.

#4 A giant feast

Because when do the Jews not put on a huge spread!?

There are various other traditions which we partake in on the night, including drinking 4 cups of wine (we use mini wine goblets, otherwise it would get messy), hiding a piece of matzah for the kids to find (the winner, or usually all of the kids get a prize for finding it) and a special song to be sung by the youngest child(ren).

I have wonderful memories of Passover seders from my childhood, and I continue to love the closeness and tradition that is evoked every year during this festival in our household.

 Chanelling sophistication.

Cute pink heels and my 2 minute manicure - you can't tell from afar ;-)

To come in the next blog post - Easter celebrations!

Art vs "Art"

I am definitely a fan of modern art, and I love looking at it and wondering what on earth the artist was thinking when they made it (or what they weren't thinking, and whether they randomly stuck together some junk that they picked up from a verge collection, in which case we're all idiots to be paying money to see it in a gallery):

It often makes me laugh, and it gives me satisfaction that I too (or anyone else for that matter) could make it. Take that, year ten art teacher who failed me at still life drawing - I could be an artist of a different type if I wanted to!

The above two photos are of art at a modern art gallery in Belgium (I think it was in Brussels, or nearby...) It had fabulous light and sound displays too. I agree with their philosophy of providing limited or no explanation of the pieces of art, so that you can draw your own conclusions about the meaning (or lack of meaning) of the art.

I like modern art more than the next person, so I was excited to visit the Political Porcelain exhibition which is part of Canberra's Enlighten festival this year. The bio was "Artist Penny Byrne takes familiar objects from our mantelpieces, china cabinets and toy boxes and transforms them into powerful works of political commentary."

I was super disappointed. I didn't find the majority of pieces to be interesting, intriguing or creative. I found them to be mundane and uninspiring. For example, this piece depicting Julia and Kevin and the leadership change:

Seriously? There is no underlying meaning (apart from the obvious), no space for creative interpretation and I can't help but feel completely uninspired by it.

Here is another piece:

No prizes for guessing that it's an anti-whaling statement, despite the little Japanese people actually standing on what looks like a dolphin.

Allow me to juxtapose the above with modern art that is also political commentary, but that I find beautiful and inspiring:

Source: This is Colossal

The piece is called 'Suspended Together', and it's by Saudi Arabian artist Manal Al Dowayan. In the artist's words:

"“Suspended Together” is an installation that gives the impression of movement and freedom. However, a closer look at the 200 doves allows the viewer to realize that the doves are actually frozen and suspended with no hope of flight. An even closer look shows that each dove carries on its body a permission document that allows a Saudi woman to travel. Notwithstanding their circumstances, all Saudi women are required to have this document, issued by their appointed male guardian.

“Suspended Together” carries the documents of award-winning scientists, educators, journalists, engineers, artists and leaders with groundbreaking achievements that gave back to their society. The youngest contributor is six months old and the oldest is 60 years old. Regardless of age and achievement, when it comes to travel, all these women are treated like a flock of suspended doves."

What do you think of modern art? Am I being too harsh a critic, or missing something in Penny Byrne's work?

Weekend Wrap Up

This week we went to many of the events held as part of Canberra Festival.

(1) Canberra Hot Air Balloon Festival

This is the view at around 8am from outside our house, every morning during the week of the balloon festival.

Watching the balloons being prepared and flying off requires an early wake up (it means getting there at around 6-6:30am) but Bub loved it. This is held on the lawns between the Treasury and Finance buildings in Parkes.

This year they had 2 kangaroo shaped balloons, and also a beaver. Last year it was a kookaburra and a giant strawberry.

(2) Ballet in the Park

This year, the Australian Ballet put on a free performance for Canberrans at Commonwealth Park.  It's the first time such an event has been held and it was very well attended.

 Only in Canberra does everyone attend an event in the rain, with umbrellas at the ready. I cannot imagine this happening in Perth! My friend said it wouldn't happen in Melbourne (her hometown) either. You can't say Canberrans aren't enthusiastic about community events!!!

(3) Skyfire

This is Canberra's biggest annual fireworks event. Other places have their big fireworks on NYE (think Sydney and Melbourne) or Australia Day (think Perth), but Canberra has it on a random weekend in the middle of the festival.

The RAAF planes put on a show. Ominous storm clouds loomed.

Unfortunately, this event was also marred by rain and I got soaked, so it wasn't much fun. It didn't help that my view of the fireworks was obscured by the umbrellas in front of me...

(4) Eating

It is a popular (and necessary) Canberra pastime; not a week goes by where we do not eat to survive, and survive to eat. This rainbow cupcake complete with sparkly icing (hard to see in the photo) was enjoyed by Bub and a friend at Ona Cafe in Manuka, while the Mums enjoyed coffee. I like meeting at this cafe as it is in a courtyard with some grassed areas, not near any roads. This is great for the kids to run around and give the adults some peace and necessary gossiping time!

 The coolest cupcake ever!

My lunch at Ona Cafe, from the all day brekkie menu.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We still have the rest of Sunday to enjoy (I am not looking forward to work tomorrow, as usual I am counting down until the next long weekend!) and I am about to go for a walk around the lake. Bye for now!

Political Brawls and the Best Cartoons of 2011

They're simultaneously idiotic and intelligent, painful and entertaining. Their behaviour in Question Time is an international embarrassment, but at least the Aussie politicians don't punch, bite and throw rubbish bins at each other (the same cannot be said of the Taiwanese):

Source: Guardian.co.uk

 

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

This year I managed to get to the Museum of Democracy in Canberra at Old Parliament House to see the award winning political cartoons of 2011. I laughed out loud several times as I viewed the exhibition, and would strongly recommend a visit if this traveling exhibition ends up where you live.

Here are my favourites:

David Pope in Canberra Times on 19 Jul 2011, Source: Behind the Lines

I absolutely love the depiction of Abbott as a crazy hyperactive kid in this cartoon inspired by the cult kids/adult book Go the F*ck to Sleep. I blogged about it here.

Mark Knight in Herald Sun on 15 Mar 2011, Source: Behind the Lines

 

Fiona Katauskas in New Matilda on 2 Feb 2011, Source: Behind the Lines

Dean Alston in West Australian on 1 Sep 2011, Source: Behind the Lines

 

An Enjoyable Week

It has been an enjoyable week so far. Work has not been dragging along, because I actually have enough work to do (it's a miracle!).

Last night we went and saw some of Canberra's iconic buildings lit up for Enlighten, Canberra's annual festival. These architectural projections feature work by local artists. I think last year was the first year they did it, and I have to say that this year is even better. Here are some of my favourites:

 Renaissance art projections on the National Gallery

 A projection on the National Library

 This was a favourite - Political Cartoons on Old Parliament House. I definitely have to go and see their exhibition of 2011's best political cartoons this year!

Also Old Parliament house - this one looked better up close than far away. The detail was incredible!

Also exciting this week is that I received the prize I won from a blog competition on A Treasured Past. Tam has very similar tastes to me, loving everything vintage and beholding a story of times past. This is the gorgeous prize pack (including a handmade brooch - my fav item, and a handmade necklace):

Tam sells similar items at her Etsy store, and also resells some of her thrifted buys.

I'll leave you all with a yummy lunch photo, and the news that I will soon be starting a diet/exercise regime. This is very much out of necessity, as fewer and fewer of my clothes are fitting.