Girl Least Likely To

Summer Album Mine is Jenny & Johnny “I’m Having...

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:50:37 +1030

Summer Album

Mine is Jenny & Johnny “I’m Having Fun Now”

Vegan no-sugar Paddle Pops. My Grandma used to make non-vegan...

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:00:09 +1030

Vegan no-sugar Paddle Pops. My Grandma used to make non-vegan ice blocks for me and my brother during summer, they were always one of my favorite treats. I remembered only recently that the recipe was super simple. I made these easy banana ice blocks - two very ripe bananas smooshed and mixed with 1 tub vegan yoghurt. You can add some vanilla, or ever some smooshed up strawberries to the mix. Fill up your icey-pops (we bought this cool one from Ikea). Freeze overnight. Enjoy! Healthy, easy cheap treat. No excuses for missing out on icey goodness during summer!

"It’s not easy to believe.” “I,” she told him, “can believe anything...."

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:41:10 +1030

““It’s not easy to believe.”
“I,” she told him, “can believe anything. You have no idea what I can believe.”
“Really?”
“I can believe things that are true and I can believe things that aren’t true and I can believe things where nobody knows if they’re true or not. I can believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles and Elvis and Mister Ed. Listen — I believe that people are perfectible, that knowledge is infinite, that the world is run by secret banking cartels and is visited by aliens on a regular basis, nice ones that look like wrinkledy lemurs and bad ones who mutilate cattle and want our water and our women. I believe that the future sucks and I believe that the future rocks and I believe that one day White Buffalo Woman is going to come back and kick everyone’s ass. I believe that all men are just overgrown boys with deep problems communicating and that the decline in good sex in America is coincident with the decline in drive-in movie theaters from state to state. I believe that all politicians are unprincipled crooks and I still believe that they are better than the alternative. I believe that California is going to sink into the sea when the big one comes, while Florida is going to dissolve into madness and alligators and toxic waste. I believe that antibacterial soap is destroying our resistance to dirt and disease so that one day we’ll all be wiped out by the common cold like the Martians in War of the Worlds. I believe that the greatest poets of the last century were Edith Sitwell and Don Marquis, that jade is dried dragon sperm, and that thousands of years ago in a former life I was a one-armed Siberian shaman. I believe that mankind’s destiny lies in the stars. I believe that candy really did taste better when I was a kid, that it’s aerodynamically impossible for a bumblebee to fly, that light is a wave and a particle, that there’s a cat in a box somewhere who’s alive and dead at the same time (although if they don’t ever open the box to feed it it’ll eventually just be two different kinds of dead), and that there are stars in the universe billions of years older than the universe itself. I believe in a personal god who cares about me and worries and oversees everything I do. I believe in an impersonal god who set the universe in motion and went off to hang with her girlfriends and doesn’t even know that I’m alive. I believe in an empty and godless universe of causal chaos, background noise, and sheer blind luck. I believe that anyone who says that sex is overrated just hasn’t done it properly. I believe that anyone who claims to know what’s going on will lie about the little things too. I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies. I believe in a woman’s right to choose, a baby’s right to live, that while all human life is sacred there’s nothing wrong with the death penalty if you can trust the legal system implicitly, and that no one but a moron would ever trust the legal system. I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you’re alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” She stopped, out of breath.
Shadow almost took his hands off the wheel to applaud. Instead he said, “Okay. So if I tell you what I’ve learned you won’t think that I’m a nut.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Try me.””

- Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Photo

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:33:01 +1030

literary tattoos

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:30:42 +1030

literary tattoos:

Like-minded souls. Next tattoo will be text. Reminds me of the film “The Pillow Book” with Ewan McGregor. Writing on the skin, a testament, a declaration… or a reminder?

Dali’s illustrations for 1865 edition of Lewis Carroll’s...

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:24:00 +1030

Dali’s illustrations for 1865 edition of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” Click image for more. They are simply beautiful.

"I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity."

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:48:00 +1030

“I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.”

- Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment.

More strange advertising here:

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:11:09 +1030

More strange advertising here:

The serial killer as a child… obvious prefers toast to...

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:10:29 +1030

The serial killer as a child… obvious prefers toast to cereal though.

Revolting… a serial killer working in the creative department...

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:08:00 +1030

Revolting… a serial killer working in the creative department perhaps?

Watching Mad Men… makes me consider the bizarre evolution...

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:06:46 +1030

Watching Mad Men… makes me consider the bizarre evolution of advertising. Some strange concepts out there, but this kinda makes me want to buy uppity carrots.

Set List. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:57:25 +1030

Set List. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

Manics. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:56:11 +1030

Manics. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:55:32 +1030

Manics. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:54:52 +1030

Manics. Adelaide. 18.11.2010

The Manics. Adelaide. HQ. 18.11.2010. Who would have thunk it?

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:53:00 +1030

Adelaide is not toted as a must-play destination these days, for international acts. Most big acts tend to by-pass the south, and head over to Perth from Melbourne on their way out. I was sure that the Manic Street Preachers had decided never to return to these shores back in ’99 when they were in Australia for the Big Day Out, let alone return for a proper tour. The fact that they discounted the Adelaide gig’s tickets by $10 might make one think that the night was not likely to go off with more than a fizzle. It is true that few bands would bother, and this band filled the Millennium Stadium in their home town, for goodness sakes. Yet when they looked out on the small crowd of only a few of hundred people, the Manics seemed like they were having a fantastic time.

HQ, a rank little nightclub that has admittedly good sound but is very small, was only half full. This was not a good sign, and mix that with the noticeably mature age of the crowd, and you have a combination for non-excitement. Yet, it seems that the entire population of Adelaide’s Welsh ex-pat contingent (didn’t know we had one) had come out to see some home town boys play. Also, you certainly can’t judge a crowds enthusiasm on their age.

They kicked off the set with You Love Us, and we just went completely nuts. If ever there was a song for a crowd to go completely nuts to, this was it. The followed up with Your Love Alone and then Motorcycle Emptiness… by this point we were a mess. The Manics quickly became this adrenalized, grinning whirlwind. James spinning like a Dervish and Nicky strutting lankily across the stage, cheshire grin in place. James had reminiscences for us, talking fast with that rhythmic, tumbling accent he has. Stories of taking the plane in for the Big Day Out in 1999 with Korn and being addressed by Jonathan Davis (what ever happened to…?) who had put a piece of sushi on his head and asked James if he liked his “hat?” That year also had Marilyn Manson and Hole in attendance… where on earth did the Manics fit in with that lot? James admits it was all a bit of a blur, as he was drunk off his head for the most of it.

Journal for Plague Lovers didn’t get a look-in, and there was an abundance of This Is My Truth songs. It is obvious that there was no way they were going to play every song that I would want to hear… in fact I am not actually sure which songs I wanted to hear myself. All of them, perhaps? I thought I wanted more Holy Bible tracks… but then Faster didn’t seem as amazing live as You Stole the Sun was; complete abandon and charged with elated joy. We were gifted with From Despair to Where: amazing. The band don’t do encores (which is always something I appreciate), and instead just finished off the set with Design For Life. By this point the perhaps a little meager puddle of a crowd seemed like an ocean of enthralled energy, as the Manics left us with smiles and goodbyes.

We are heading off to the Melbourne show in a day, and it will be interesting to see if there will be the same banter, same stories and same set list. I don’t really mind if its a repeat (boom boom).

Ginger, Mary Ann and the Captain.

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:36:43 +1030

Ginger, Mary Ann and the Captain.

JDB, K and me

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:34:28 +1030

JDB, K and me

It is rare for me to go all "Fan Girl"... but this was one of those times.

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +1030

We all have that list of bands that helped us form our identity when we were in our early teens and in the process of discovering a sense of self, for me the Manics are the last to be crossed off on my list (for the record, the others are Smiths/Morrissey, Nine Inch Nails and Bowie… been there, done that). I can thank this band for my sometimes reactionary and sometimes useless rebellion against the order of things, and the formation of my political mindset, as I was growing up. Those few years… from fourteen to sixteen saw me burst out of the shell of hand-fed teen innocence (most of what I was listening to prior to then was from my parents meager record collection, all good music, but none of it my music) and into the real world, sometimes being easily lead with that cherished blind idealism we all have at that age, when we decide we have opinions of our own that aren’t our parents. I was leaving home at the end of my seventeenth year, fueled by this new found idea that I was my own person. Who would have thought she can think for herself?

The Manic Street Preachers, to me, always seemed to have that same kind of youthful idealism which was at constant war with needing to be authentic. Do they back up what the write and sing about? This band has such a singularly amazing past story to tell, and were faced with leaving behind that picture of their angst-ridden youth. Were they going to emerge as something else? Leave all that political stuff behind and paint themselves with a new brush? The past two albums have shown us that the Manics are always saying something… as we all should be. Journal and Postcards are like two sides of a coin. Journal is written by a ghost and haunted by reminiscence of a different Manics: charged and angry and consumed by everything. Postcards is just that, a letter from the old Manics to the new, from youth to maturity. It is an album full of self-reference’s and admittance’s. What happens to the idealist in you when you are no longer full of that youthful energy? Does it just slink away, no longer relevant because you have actually had to participate in the world now that you realize “live fast, die young” are just words… for some of us? That sense of authenticity, it can just evaporate into steam, hot air, if you don’t back it up. They still leave Richie Edwards spot on stage clear for him… they make a point of acknowledging their twenty year-old selves, and then they say “this is what we are now.”

So, this is the image I had of this band… honest, genuine, steadfast in being what they are, and concerned with not morphing into a monster as years and success carries them away. It is always such a shame when you encounter a band or artist that, in your mind, have this sage-like, magnificent genius, only to discover they are massive pricks who appear on stage only in the mask of authenticity. We happily discovered that this was not the case with Nicky, James and Sean.

We stood at the stage door of HQ, hoping to catch the lads on their way in (we figured this was going to be the best chance ever to encounter a Manic in the wild, given that there was only a handful of others with the same inclinations in Adelaide). The van pulled up and they emerged with smiles and told us they would be out in half and hour to say hi. Post soundcheck, and they did indeed give us a moment of their time, stopping for pictures and autographs. We could’t help but imagine how lucky we are, to be competing with so few other fans… when in the UK it would no doubt be akin to a lunatic asylum at the stage door of a Manics gig. Sean went and hid in the van, slipping by everyone in the hope that no oner would mind too much (a method of evasion I am sure he has perfected: escaping while everyone is being blinded by Nicky’s glittering neck-tie). James offered up a genuine smile of a man defeated by all the attention as they drove away, and this look just seemed so James. Nicky was happy to sign things and take a little extra time with us, as this is clearly his part to play in the scheme of things.

How to make the perfect cup of tea: Select a quality loose leaf...

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:31:23 +0930

How to make the perfect cup of tea:

Select a quality loose leaf tea. Robust Irish Breakfast will give you a kick in the teeth in the morning, Russian Caravan has a pleasant smokiness that is wonderful on rainy days, and my favorite, Lady Grey is the most perfect of all afternoon teas, with her fancy citrusy overtones.

Brew in a pot. I’m not saying the honest old tea bag doesn’t have it’s place and purpose. They are masterful little inventions, however, if you want to get the most true flavor out of your tea, then you need to brew in a pot so the leaves can truly infuse.

Use water that has only been boiled once. Over-boiling water prevents oxygenation and will increase the acidity of your brew. Using filtered water is also best, depending on the water quality in your town.

Never poor straight from boiling into your leaves, or you will burn them, and ruin the flavor.

Turn your pot! I like to spin the pot three turns to the left, three turns to the right. I’m superstitious, and find I can’t stop myself doing this… but there is a less OCD reason: it helps to infuse the tea.

Add your milk to your cup before you poor the tea. This may be a contentious subject for tea-lovers. Everyone has their preference, but I find it’s easy to add too much milk if I’m pouring it into the tea, rather than mixing the tea into the small amount of milk.

You should use a strainer, naturally, but I always like to let a few leaves poor into my mug so I can read them after I have finished my tea. Once I saw a clear image of a tea cup, clear as day! I immediately poured another cup. Spooky!

Now I think it is the perfect time to pop the kettle on, as it is tea-time, after all.