I'm not really a fan of obvious body art. I prefer tattoos and piercings that are a little more discreet and can be hidden when the situation deems it appropriate. However, these tattoos by Amanda Wachob are pretty freakin' fabulous! How realistic are they? It took me a while to realise that they were permanent ink not just temporary craft paint. Her other work is pretty impressive too but I just love these splashes of colour.
Mosmans Restaurant from Johnson Parade
...and I just can't hide it! The Boy and I enjoyed a romantic dinner for two on Friday evening at a lovely Perth establishment called Mosmans. This restaurant has been completely refurbished and revamped since being taken off the slightly suspicious (and some would argue rather incompetent) hands of the Mead Group. Our motivation was two-fold 1. we needed a nice evening out together where could raise a glass to The Boy's first pay cheque and 2. I was scouting venues for my birthday next month. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, I turn thir...thir, thir... thirty at the end of March.
Up close with the private jetty behind it
Anyhoo, I had already been in contact with the venue manager so when we turned up we were treated to complimentary champagne and some gorgeous bread with olive oil and dukkah (nothing like making yourself known!) and she showed me the private room I was interested in. It is perfect. At the moment I'm thinking long table lunch with some close friends as The Boy and I will be enjoying the sweet, soulful sounds of Harry Connick Jr. (and orchestra) that evening over a picnic basket in Kings Park.
Inside the restaurant - very 'beachy chic'
This is a big deal for me. I haven't really celebrated my birthday since I was 13 and that slumber party ended up with half of the guests sleeping in the living room, half of them in my bedroom, and one of the girls calling someone else's mother (yes, that's right, someone else's) to come and collect her at midnight. I was so traumatised by the petulant bickering and plain bitchiness of adolescent girls that I've never fully recovered. And I've never made a big deal of my birthday since. So this year is going to be special. I'm going to leave that all behind me, channel my inner Martha Stewart and have the classy, stylish grown-up birthday party I've wanted to have for years.
Yay for me!
The main bar
Gratuitous food shot - this was our main course!
Mosmans from on high
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Or invasion day, depending on your perspective. Either way I hope that your day is filled with flag-clad teenagers, BBQ filled-plates, ice cold beer and respect for the hundreds of cultures that have embraced this land, and dare I say, a wee bit of pride as well.
This photo was taken in our little flat at 9:18am yesterday as proof of the heatwave we've been experiencing here. We had three days in a row of temperatures above 40 degrees celsius (for those of you who are yet to embrace the metric system, that's three consecutive days above 104 degrees fahrenheit). I was supposed to be working on my methods chapter but with the inside temperature reaching 33.4 (92.1) degrees by 9 o'clock in the morning I simply couldn't concentrate. Luckily my folks are still on holiday so I called my dad and he obligingly picked me up and drove me back to the comfort of my parents airconditioned home.
This type of heat is not uncommon for an Australian summer but living where we live make it's so much harder. As our flat is at the end of a block of 10 with the front door facing west, we get sun on three sides during the day. This also gives us access to the warm easterly winds that come off the desert while the next block of flats, just above us on this hill, block the afternoon sea breezes. When we got home at 10:45pm on Monday night it was 35.5 (95.9) degrees inside!
As a result we've both been quite sleep deprived and highly irritable. I felt for The Boy who had two 15 hour shifts in row with only a nine hour break in between, filled with sweaty broken sleep. He ended up spending the night on the kitchen floor with the front door screen locked and the front door open in an attempt to catch a breeze. As a result we've since decided to bite the bullet and purchase a portable airconditioner. Summer is a long way from over, and if this week is anything to go by we just won't cope with another heatwave.
We've also had issues with the insulation company who sent a three teenagers in the week before Christmas to lay insulation in a roof of asbestos. They had no training in dealing with asbestos and freaked out when The Boy informed them of what the roof had been constructed out of, so he promptly sent them on their way. Our phone calls to the estate agent's have all remained unanswered so we have no idea what's happening. However, with the temperature dropping to a far more appropriate 28 (82.4) degrees tomorrow, I'm looking forward to finally having a decent night's sleep.
It takes two hands to make a heart
On this day, 35 years ago, my Australian mother and my German father walked in to a registry office in London and promised to love each other until death parted them. Now, 35 years and two children later, my father likes to point out that he would have received less time for committing murder!
All jokes aside, here's to wishing my beloved parents all the best for the next 35 years - and yes, I hope you manage to have some grandchildren too!
x o x o
The 'Green Room' - The Boy's dad is now an expert at blowing up helium balloons!
There have been plots, plans and secrets underway over the past few months. The reason being The Boy's completion of his medical degree. Being at university for so long there have been so many people that he has met along the way who have played a part in him finally getting to where he so desperately wanted to be.
The first guests arrive
Together his parents and I organised a surpise party in his honour, to celebrate this momentous achievement and to also say thank you to all people who have supported him along the way. It was held at Maylands Peninsula Golf Course, originally because doctors have a 'reputation' for scheduling surgery around their golfing endeavours. I think I was the only one who got it, but hey - it was great!
Mr. Bones holds the drinks list and watches over the bar
However, it is the first and last surprise party I will be organising. It's just too hard to do things in secret when you live with the guest of honour and he is on holidays before heading off to work. I can't tell you how many times he came home while I was on the phone, or replying to an email.
I chose these pink flowers because they reminded me of little hot pink brains
I went in to the institute to email the invitations because I was worried about being found out. And vendors managed to always phone me when he was sitting beside me. It would have been a lot easier if we were both at work fulltime. It was just too stressful!
Champagne and finger food
Still, it was totally worth it. With the past five years of our lives being dictated by medical school and my PhD we've not managed to keep in touch with friends as much as we would've liked to. In fact there were people who dropped by that we hadn't seen in over a year. The Boy was a little melancholic about it but I told him we should look at it as motivation - 2010 is the year to stay in touch, to cultivate new friendships and nurture the established ones. Sounds like a wonderful resolution to me!
An afternoon shared amongst friends
I welcomed the New Year at home with just my beloved by my side and it was perfect. We made a home cooked laksa together and devoured it over a DVD. We watched a movie that had a nostalgic twinge for me - ET, the Extra-Terrestrial, the movie that was probably the defining film of my childhood. I was only 2 years old when it was released but VHS made it accessible through my most formative years. I have a real soft spot for the eighties. I had such a happy childhood. And just when I thought my evening couldn't get any better I had a surprise phone call from my BFF in Toronto! Then, with the final minutes of 2009 slowly counting down, I got to enjoy a glass of Bailey's on ice while I curled up on the couch with my honey to welcome the New Year with the Sydney Harbour fireworks on TV.
'Twas indeed perfect.
The bounty.
So it turns out The Boy is also a competent crabber. He went out on his dad's boat before Christmas and came back with (the legal limit of) 20 adult sized blue manna crabs.
A barnacle on one of the crabs.
They were rather tasty. Our first dish was chilli crab, the second was fresh crab on crusty bread with lemon and dill mayonnaise. Both dishes were simple but marvellous.
The only female crab in the bunch.
Watching The Boy clean them was an education in itself. I got a quick tutorial on crab anatomy and the structural differences between boy and girl crabs. There was only one female in the whole bunch.
Cleaning the crabs.
Eating them was a task and a half. I now completely understand why crab meat costs so much - it's so hard to get to! It wouldn't surprise me if it was a case of exercise eating i.e. one expends more energy getting to the crab meat than is gained by eating the crab meat.
Like a scene from 'Aliens'.
I took the 'Ditto' photo above in a street nearby to where The Boy's parents live. I'm sure I've seen a version of this via email but when I saw this house in the flesh I wanted to walk up to the door, ring the bell and shake the owner's hand. It sums up exactly how I feel about Christmas. Well, except that the owner actually went to the effort of purchasing and installing the lights. I don't think I could ever be bothered.
Christmas just doesn't do it for me at the moment. This Christmas we spent four days driving around visiting people and spent an average of three hours in the car each day. This was after a week of super-stressful last minute shopping and several days panicking over the fact that I might not get all the work done that I needed to before the break. I didn't get it done. In fact I'm supposed to be finished with recruitment and interviews but instead I still have three Vietnamese mothers to find. And then interview. And I also have about 88 hours of transcribing to go. I feel sick just thinking about it.
I think what makes it even harder for me is that it's just not fun anymore. Because I don't enjoy myself I get incredibly stressed over the 2.3 million other things I could be doing. Then I think: it's Christmas, it's a holiday, enjoy the time off! However the time I have off is often spent on other people so then I can't help but get a little resentful that my time really isn't my own.
Sometimes I feel like I need a holiday from my holiday. I dream of spending Christmas in a hammock, with some trashy magazines, a couple of books and a pina colada in my hand. Maybe one day...
I think what I miss most is the excitement and anticipation that children have towards Christmas. I loved Christmas when I was a kid. Everything is special - singing carols, decorating the tree, eating candy canes, visiting a shopping mall Santa, leaving carrots out for the reindeer and milk and cookies for the jolly fat guy. None of that exists for me anymore. Plus several of my friends are living overseas at the moment and my sister is still in Utah. I especially miss them at this time of year.
On a happier note, 2010 is just around the corner. As is my 30th birthday (eek!). I have a good feeling about 2010 - I think it is going to be the year for positive changes. If nothing else, it brings my submission date ever closer. Amen for that!
1. Jacaranda mimosifolia, 2. Jacaranda Vineyard, 3. Jacaranda, 4. Jacaranda, 5. The Jacaranda Tree, 6. Jacaranda Carpet, 7. Jacaranda, University of Queensland, 8. Jacaranda Carpet, Adelaide _1015_2_2, 9. Jacarandas original, 10. jacarandas, 11. jacarandas in full bloom, downtown Los Angeles, California, 12. Jacaranda mimosifolia -flor- (II)
Discovering manual focus...and a random lemon that turned up in the classroom.
Rule of thirds.
Rule of thirds/Depth of field.
Leading lines.
Leading lines.
Leading lines.
Warm image.
Cool image.
Movement/Cool image.
Movement.
Movement.
Texture/Depth of field.
Texture.
Repetition.
Repetition/Depth of field
Repetition/Warm image.
Learning about indoor portraiture...in possibly the worst lighting EVER.
Yay!!
It's funny cos it's true. I have a mountain of paperwork and can't find my co-ordinating supervisor. On the plus side, there's only five more sleeps until the institute Christmas party. I will be unavailable for the 48 hours immediately following.
There's nothing better than great weather, great food and great company. These three things basically summed-up my weekend. What joy.
Garlic prawns straight from the grill. We marinated them overnight in a mix that was equal parts sesame oil and lemon juice, laced with fresh crushed garlic. Dee-licious.
This was a creation I made up on the spur of the moment. It worked brilliantly (thank goodness) so I named it Perfect Picnic Punch: combine 1 bottle of sparkling rose with 1 bottle of lemonade, stir in 2-3 shots of Frangelico, the juice of one lime and 1 cup of frozen raspberries. Chill and serve. Dee-lectable.
Oh my beloved Magnum - how do I love thee, let me count the ways...
The Boy brought out the Uno cards which in turn brought out our competitive spirits. It's a good thing there weren't any children nearby as our language got, how does one put this... a little 'fruity'.
SF made a super creamy and delicious mango cheesecake. Please ignore the smushed side, there was a slight altercation with the esky lid. Of course, it didn't effect the taste at all. Scrumptious!
The weather was sunny and warm, but not hot. The sky was a beautiful blue and the trees gave us some wonderful shade. It was the perfect opportunity to kick back and relax with friends.
It was a perfect day.
The rose window and organ pipes in Winthrop Hall
Seven years ago I met a fellow student of anatomy and human biology who was completing an honours research project looking at the effects of insulin-like growth factor on dystrophic muscle, in an attempt to possibly help children with muscular dystrophy. He was friendly, sociable and just down-right nice. Eighteen months later we were an item. I am living proof that there is nothing more wonderful than falling in love with your best friend.
University big wigs
This boy, my boy, had tried to get in to medical school straight out of high school and while he aced UMAT and the entrance interview his Tertiary Entrance Rank fell a few points short. He didn’t give up. He enrolled in a science degree and tried to transfer over, but the competition to do so was extremely high. Again, he didn’t give up.
Just after the formal Class of 2009 portrait
He aced his honours year, improved his GPA, started a Masters degree and studied for months to sit the GAMSAT and the UMAT again (this time scoring in the 99th percentile). Yesterday, 12 years after his first attempt to get in to medical school he stood with 196 other graduands and took the Hippocratic Oath. I am in awe.
Champagne and canapes by the Reflection Pond
It’s been such a long road. Medical School has been such a significant part of our life together. It was 10 months into our relationship that The Boy finally got in to med school. Next year he starts his first ever full time job – as a doctor! It will be such a change for us. Not having to anticipate assignments and exams, not having to worry about accumulating HECS debt, actually having a second income. It’ll be like winning the lottery!
Conversations and congratulations
So here’s to my beloved, a man who didn't give up when others would have. Here's to tenacity, determination and strength of character and here's to all those who are living proof that some dreams are worth fighting for.
Spreading out on to the Great Court Lawn
There's nothing overly special about these photos - except they are the first pictures I've ever taken in a fully manual mode. I selected the f-value, I selected the ISO, then I metered for exposure time. They were taken at various places in the building where I'm doing my photography course.
Attending classes has been a blessing as I just don't have the time to read and discover these things for myself. Having an instructor at the front of the class explaining things, showing us what to do, and then correcting us when we need help is exactly how I like to learn.
I just need to play around a lot more outside of class. I'm just so busy there isn't any time pick up my camera at the moment. And with the explosion of Jacarandas around the place at the moment it's a real shame.
I'm also ready to move beyond my current lens which was great for a beginner but is quite restrictive now that there are certain things I want to do and simply can't. Often the aperture just isn't big enough and the quality of glass is good but not great. Also my camera body isn't full frame and only goes to ISO 1600 which isn't ideal for low light situations, especially when paired with a large f-stop value lens.
Basically I need a camera body with a high ISO and lenses with low f-stops. And I'm starting to lean towards prime lenses. They're just dreamy for portraiture. One day I'll have a Canon 5D Mark II and a bag of L series lenses, but for now I'm rewarding myself one milestone at a time. Now I can take manual pictures I'm going to purchase a high quality prime lens. Yay!
On a separate but still photography related issue, I've been receiving requests for quotes for wedding photography! Mainly friends of friends who have seen my pictures through Facebook. Of course I've declined, but it was still a huge boost to my self-esteem to know that their are people out there who think my photography skills are good enough to document their special day. Now if I could only fit some serious practice in, upgrade my equipment and figure out how the hell to use Photoshop!
