quiet paws.

So aside from a significant obsession with the full spectrum of ‘woodland creatures’, I also have an equally strong and similarly inexplicable fascination with horses (something which I’ve already reflected on). I therefore felt very fortunate indeed when I recently stumbled across the gorgeous Brown Button Trading store and spied myself a beautiful Pegasus statue.

Well what choice did I have? I simply had to buy it.
After all what could possibly be better than a winged horse?

I’ve been feeling a little flat and somewhat lacking in imaginative power and energy recently, so I’ve been looking for some way to bring a little extra ‘magic’ to my life.

I’m hoping that with Pegasus by my side at night while I sleep, my dream mind will be infiltrated with a surge of creative energy, which will then in turn influence my waking mind.

…speed forth with your poetic inspiration winged horse of the sky…

There have been many, many times in my life where I’ve selected essential products based purely on the outcome of a very simple cost-benefit analysis. The simplicity of this analysis was that it was driven by two fundamental determining factors. Firstly, what is the cheapest possible product I can buy that will still fulfil the basic functionality of the product? (cost = cheap). And secondly, what is the best quality product I can buy that will have the least amount of negative impacts? (benefit = won’t kill me).

I am very thankful to be in my current position where I no longer have to apply the above analysis strictly to every purchase that I make. I feel inclined to look after myself more than I used to and as part of that thinking I take the opportunity to indulge in better quality items whenever budget allows. Such a philosophy I have recently applied to the purchase of soap.

I’ve long been tempted by the beautiful packaging and presentation employed by MOR Cosmetics. Everything about their products speaks to me of luxury, seducing the eye and nose with promises of something that will be unlike anything ever experienced before. The only thing that would cause me to hesitate to purchase in the past was the price tag, which for a 200g bar of soap equates to just under $20. Yikes!

But after years of doing the rounds with supermarket-bought liquid and bar soaps, I figured it was about time to indulge and try for quality. MOR seemed like a natural choice - it is the result of a collaboration between Australian designers (bonus!), it is deliciously hand-wrapped in decadent paper and ribbon (bonus!), and it smells divine (bonus!). Taking myself then off to Myer I spent some time trying to choose which MOR soap to try (once I make a decision for action I can often agonise painfully over the details).

While I was temporarily tempted by the lovely fresh citrus fragrance of the Blood Orange variety, I ended up opting for the Black Cherry Plum (Barre de Savon Mélangée à la Main) which looked very old-world elegant, with a strong yet balanced floral fragrance. I love the description of the scent, ‘combines the sultry, bold fragrance of Black Cherry with the light, subtle sweetness of Plum to bring you the perfect balance‘.

Reading further on the packaging I then discovered that MOR soaps are triple-milled (which certainly sounded like an additional bonus!). Apparently triple-milled soaps are unlikely to be something you’ll find at your local supermarket - they are much smoother than normal soaps, and produce a creamier, more luxuriant lather (claims which I can certainly support). So after doing some research I discovered that the deal with triple-milled soap is this … When soap is being made it is dried before being made into bars. During the drying process the soap turns into crystals which can produce a rough based when made into normal soap bars. Triple-milled soaps are passed three times through a heavy duty roller mill to repeatedly crush the soap crystals and make them into an extremely fine, smooth paste before they are made into bars.

Taking my lovely soap purchase home I really had to convince myself to unwrap it as it was just so beautiful. Eventually I did of course, and as you can see the product on the inside is just as lovely as the outside packaging suggests. And I have to admit that compared to other soaps I have used, this one is very generously sized, leaves the skin feeling clean but not dry, and seems to be longer lasting.

I have to say that this was $20 very well spent!

The day has to of course begin with a wonderfully cute, awesomely comfortable pair of shoes (in my case a pair of Black & White polka-dot boots from ShoeShoe) which are perfect for driving and for walking.

After a quick wander through the Valley Markets it was time to indulge in a very, very late breakfast at our establishment of choice, Kaliber. Here we discovered that the food and coffee is great and very reasonably priced (think $6 for most breakfast dishes and $3 large coffees). While we opted for the poached eggs on toast, next time I think I’ll be swayed by the ‘homemade pancakes served with mixed berries sauce, maple syrup and whipped cream or ice cream‘…

As we dined we were treated to the wonderful musical stylings of Danny Widdicombe - a wonderful Brisbane musician whose music is a little bit country, a little bit folk, a little bit traditional lounge, and a whole lot of cool (his song ‘Give Me Just One More Chance‘ is now a firm favourite).

Then off to do a little more browsing…a path which eventually found us exploring some of the beautiful, amazing, unique range of stores in the TCB centre. Somehow we managed to avoid temptation and simply appreciate (rather than buy) all of the beautiful clothes at Subfusco and the absolutely stunning range of men’s and women’s shoes at Vein Wear.

Jumping onto a bus we headed out to the Brisbane Powerhouse to view the World Press Photo exhibition which showcases the world’s best press photos of 2008. While I felt that the display let the exhibition down (the rooms were too small, too dark, and the images were positioned in such a way so that it was hard to stand and contemplate them without getting in someone else’s way), many of the photographs were incredibly moving and very powerful. My favourite photo was an image of Michelle Obama napping on her husband’s shoulder by Callie Shell.

Rounding out the afternoon with some bakery goodies from the old-school bakery, ‘Baker’s Crust’ in McWhirters (my indulgence was a mini lemon meringue pie with a secret chocolate base), it was time to head home and rest our weary heads…

…and so ends a wonderful Saturday in June spent enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Brisbane.

I’ve been in a real ‘organisational’ mode recently in an effort to declutter my life and clear my head of unnecessary distractions. A very big part of this process has been to move my office around, organise my wardrobe and sort my books properly into bookcases. Where better for a girl to turn when she needs organisational help on a grand (and moderately priced) scale than that Swedish mecca of all things furniture and storage, Ikea.

As always one can go to Ikea with the best intentions of buying just one thing. Inevitably though the maze of goodies will have you tempted into making other clever purchases. My intention on this particular day was to purchase picture frames for some of my art purchases (of which I need many, many more), but of course I ended up finding so much more.

Amongst the bounty of goodies that came away with me can be found a new navy blue metal rubbish bin, two wooden shoe racks, two massive clothing boxes to store all my winter woolies, and of course the intended purchase of picture frames. All in all it was a good shopping effort, and it has made a MASSIVE impact to the tidiness of my room.

I wrote recently about how my quest to purchase a really awesome hand cream found me lusting after all the beautiful products which Aesop creates. Well I haven’t quite got around to purchasing any hand cream yet, as my need for gloriously soft, hydrated hands was suddenly overtaken by a body moisturiser crisis. The last of my cocoa butter body cream had finally disappeared, and I really wasn’t interested in re-purchasing an exact replacement as I hadn’t found the product that effective. Which quickly brought me back to the friendly Aesop counter.

The last time I was there I sampled their ‘Rejuvenate Aromatique Body Balm’ which features the fragrance of vanilla, sandalwood and tangerine rind. Or perhaps you’d prefer the official product description (which is so much fancier!) - ‘Warm, woody vanilla tones offer an immediate lift, and are followed by a lingering base note of sandalwood that complements any perfume‘.

I almost purchased the smaller (120ml) tube of body balm because I have issues with pump packs (something to do with the frustration at trying to get the last of the product out of the bottle). After discussing my issues with the retail assistant I ended up going with the larger (500ml) pump pack, as it just makes more sense from an efficiency perspective. Following the instructions I was given, the balm is best applied to warm, damp skin and only needs to be gently massaged…and the result…divine! It leaves my skin beautifully smooth and subtlely fragrant.

As ever while I was making my purchase I was treated to a range of wonderful samples of other Aesop products. It’s so lovely to be spoilt, the only trouble I see is that I’ll be very tempted to make more purchases of their lovely goodies (a very minor problem in the big scheme of things).

I find it interesting that a few companies are putting a great deal of emphasis on their brand ‘philosophy’. Making a purchase is often more than just what the product can do for you, it’s about how that product is presented, what the brand represents, how it is marketed and where it is retailed. Aesop describes itself as offering ‘alternative beauty systems for skin, hair and body’, and all this with an intellectual bent. All of their products feature quotes from ‘interesting people’ such as William Blake, Pablo Picasso, Anouk Aimee, Mae West and Bertrand Russell. However perhaps best of all is that they advocate a ‘regular intake of good books‘. Now this is a brand that I could really support!

…But the fire is so delightful (or at least I’m sure it would be if I actually had a fireplace). Failing that, I’m happy to make do with other ways to keep myself toasty and warm when the weather conspires to leave me frozen and soaked to the core. Aside from keeping the cool air at bay by keeping all the windows and doors of the house firmly closed, and then piling on several layers of warm clothing, I’ve also found that the humble old water bottle packs a serious amount of punch (of the warm variety).

We recently stocked up on a few of the standard (quite ugly) traditional hot water bottles to use throughout the house, which we very inelegantly cover with old pillow cases. However I couldn’t go past one of these cute covered hot water bottles from Peter Alexander (and even better it was 20% off!).

For many, mostly inexplicable reasons I have an obsession with woodland creatures - everything from squirrels, badgers, rabbits and deers. So happily I’ve been able to extend this obsession with my new hot water bottle…snuggly bliss indeed!!

So apparently this season accessories are the new black. Aside from the practicality of such a fashion philosophy, it also works well in these recession impacted times. After all, there is no better (or more efficient) way to update an existing wardrobe than with the addition of a few well chosen accessorising pieces - remember, contrast or complement ladies. Rather than allow these challenging economic times to completely hamper my shopping style (or in other words force me to sacrifice the joys of shopping altogether…such a horrible thought), I’ve simply learnt to adapt to the current set of circumstances.

I recently indulged in a little ‘accessorising’ when one of my favourite online stores, Maubourg took a fantastic 50% off all their in-stock items. I took the opportunity to purchase two beautiful Joveeba ‘Rose Belts’ - one in black and one in silver. They are gorgeous beyond belief and I’m convinced they will make any outfit transform into something even more wonderful.

A strong economy will need some strong spending, and I feel obliged to do my part for the good of the country. In any case, there is much to enjoy about purchasing accessories. There are a wide variety of items available at any given price point, they are often more compact than clothing (and therefore easier to hide if necessary), and regardless of how you’re feeling on any given day, they will always fit.

The only downside with focussing spending on accessories is that items such as jewellery, scarves and belts are so much easier to buy than clothes (and may therefore negate any perceived money saving intentions). But with that being the only real negative, I hope you’ll agree that the positives certainly win.

After watching the guest program on Rage last weekend (for those overseas readers, Rage is an Australian music video program) and enjoying the really eclectic selection of videos, I got to thinking about what I would program on my list of music videos to share with the televisual world. Of course the list starts out with an obvious blend of a whole range of tracks from artists that you feel should be represented - musicians such as David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Iggy Pop, and so on. However rather than end up with a list of what could be described as ‘really important songs’ from ‘really important artists’, I wanted to filter my song choices in some way. What better way to filter than to apply some random rules to the process?

So the two rules I applied to my guest programming selection are that:

(1) My list could only include a total of 30 songs; and
(2) I had to actually own the song which I was selecting.

Suddenly my list changed dramatically from what it was originally. And then began the extremely difficult task of narrowing my selection to only 30 tracks. So without further delay, I hereby deliver for your viewing (or listening) pleasure, the 30 songs which I would guest program on Rage (with no preferential ordering):

1. Radiohead: Paranoid Android (OK Computer)…Radiohead as always are fascinating and thoughtful.
2. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds: The Mercy Seat (Live Seeds)…Nick and the boys totally rock it live, and the crazy energy of this song deserves to be appreciated loud and raw.
3. Beck: Scarecrow (Guero)…a difficult song to categorise, but displays a seriously unique style and thumping beat.
4. Eels: Mr E’s Beautiful Blues (Daises of the Galaxy)…The Eels are just so cool and this video is fun and happy (just like the song).
5. Mirah: The Garden (Advisory Committee)…the beat on this song kills me…it’s irresistible!
6. Cat Power: Sea of Love (The Covers Record)…delicate, respectful cover of a most beautiful, fragile song.
7. Beck: Everbody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Soundtrack)…Beck’s voice is incredibly powerful and soulful as he communicates longing, sadness and acceptance.
8. Radiohead: Creep (My Iron Lung)…I have a rather major band crush on Radiohead. This song is beautiful, angry and is the perfect blend of emotional and musical contrasts.
9. Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah (Grace)…intense, sorrowful, sweet and captivating.
10. The White Stripes: I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself (Elephant)…Kate Moss is gorgeous beyond belief in this video directed by Sofia Coppola.
11. The Stranglers: Golden Brown (He Died With a Felafel in his Hand Soundtrack)…I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved this song and the exotic luxury of this video just feels so right.
12. Smog: Our Anniversary (Supper)…not sure if there’s an official video to go with this track, but the song just had to be included as it is intimate, warm and ‘real’ beyond belief.
13. Lykke Li: Little Bit (Youth Novels)…interesting, dreamy video. I love the sense of movement throughout (also check out the beautiful B&W video for her other song, ‘Tonight’).
14. M.I.A: Paper Planes (Kala)…addictive song and compelling ‘raw’ video which avoids complicated styling. M.I.A is mesmerising.
15. Damien Rice: The Blower’s Daughter (O)…beautifully conveys the right balance of pain and aching sadness. The video features scenes from Closer (such a cast…the chemistry between Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman is amazing! … I have issues with Jude Law so he doesn’t count).
16. Beastie Boys: Ch-Check It Out (To the 5 Boroughs)…these crazy kids always have fun, and this video is no exception. Street rage, heaps of costume changes, and a final fatal explosion…what more could you want?
17. Hawksley Workman: Ice Age (Treeful of Starling)…just a stunningly beautiful, romantic song (in fact, the entire album is the same).
18. Johnny Cash: Hurt (American IV: The Man Comes Around)…wonderful cover by an absolute music master, the video is perfect in visuals and pace…and oh so sad…gets me every time…
19. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (featuring PJ Harvey): Henry Lee (The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds)…gets my vote for the sexiest music video ever. Seriously. You must watch it!
20. Pop Levi: Pick-Me-Up Uppercut (The Return to Form Black Magick Party)…he’s just so crazy, I love it! This song always makes me smile.
21. Bjork: It’s Oh So Quiet (Post)…wonderful Spike Jonze directed video with fantastic ‘popping’ colours, cleverly mixed-up pacing and great use of choreographed dancers.
22. Gary Jules: Mad World (Donnie Darko Soundtrack)…fantastic visuals in the video directed by Michel Gondry are the perfect accompaniment to this beautifully measured and sad song.
23. Basement Jaxx: Romeo (The Chillout Sessions 3 - Ministry of Sound)…hello Bollywood!
24. Elvis Costello: I Want You (The Very Best of Elvis Costello)…love the beat and range of emotions in this song (see if you can track down the Fiona Apple cover…it’s awesome as well).
25. Kings of Leon: On Call (Because of the Times)…love the boots and the subdued opening before the song suddenly bursts to life.
26. The Beatles: Let It Be (The Beatles Anthology 3)…simplicity in delivery and style at its very best.
27. Blur: Tender (13)…a big beast of a song that begs to be sung along with. The B&W totally works for me.
28. Jem: Come on Closer (Finally Woken)…this song just sounds so ‘naughty’ (in a very, very good way).
29. John Lennon: Imagine (Lennon Legend)…I love the dreamy opening as John and Yoko walk towards their home, the white shutters which are opened to let in the bright sunshine, and the shared look of love.
30. Seu Jorge: Life On Mars? (The Life Aquatic Soundtrack)…great Bowie song + great cover = awesome video. Steve Zissou rocks!

So that’s my list (at least at this particular moment in time) - please share your thoughts. What would you include on your own personal music video list? …(feel free to apply my rules, adapt your own limitations, or choose to give yourself no boundaries at all…).

I have to admit that along with coffee, chocolate is another indulgence that I often become a little obsessed with (perhaps I have a problem with food and drink starting with ‘C’?). While I would happily indulge in ‘lower end’ milk chocolates as a child, the last few years (actually maybe more like the last 10 years, but that makes me feel old, so pretend you didn’t read that), I’ve found myself drawn to the dark side…and the darker the chocolate, the better. Lindt very quickly became my ‘go to’ chocolate of choice. 

Working my way through their high percentage cocoa blocks, I started out with the 70% cocoa before moving up to the 85% cocoa. From there the next logical step was to sample the 99% cocoa block - certainly not one I’d recommend for the faint-hearted or the casual chocolate lover looking for a sweet chocolate hit. This is chocolate with a capital C. Anyway I digress…

Dello Mano is a local business which recently came to my attention through the Brisbane Farmer’s Markets where my chocolate tastebuds were seriously tempted after indulging in a free taste test of their luxury brownies. I don’t think that words can adequately express how delicious this taste test was - perhaps all I can say is that if that was to have been the last piece of chocolate goodness that I was able to taste in my life, I would be very, very satisfied. Ever since that first taste, I’ve been a loyal shopper at their market stall.

Granted their products are not what I would call cheap (from memory it is $3 for a choc-chip shortbread cookie, and $5 for a brownie bar), but don’t let the price dissuade you. Remember that quality and not quantity is king. The shortbread cookies are amazing (and I recommend storing your cookies in the fridge prior to eating, as it really does add to the textural experience). And of course the luxury brownies are divine. So far I’ve sampled the Classic Belgian Chocolate and the Espresso Walnut Brownie - they make a wonderful dessert or very special treat.  

Look I really would have loved to share some of my brownies with you, but perhaps your invite was lost in the mail? (or maybe some crazy chocolate-obsessed fiend forgot to send you one?). It may be best for you to just order some for yourself (psst…they deliver Australia-wide).

A few weeks back I finished reading ‘The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl‘ by Belle de Jour. Amongst a variety of other things, the book had me reflecting on the nature of friendship and on the type of friend that I am (or think that I am). Belle has a very close group of friends and she ponders the social danger that comes from knowing your friends almost as well as you know yourself. In her own words…

‘There is always a danger that by knowing too much about each other, all useful conversational skills will be lost. Only with people you’ve known since puberty can you be entertained by:

‘Remember the…’ Vague hand gesture.
‘Yes, just like in the movie.’
‘Oh god! And the arm thing B used to do.’
Random Star Wars quote.
Reference to mid-1990s politics.
Satisfied silence, or fits of inexplicable giggles for half an hour.‘

I’ve also enjoyed many conversations with close friends which run along similar lines to this - as I’m sure everyone has. That wonderful feeling of warmth and security offered by friendship and its shared experiences had me thinking about what I’d be prepared to do for a friend. To give myself some sort of benchmark for self-analysis, I thought that it would be useful to reflect on the range and depth of different types of friendship in a random subset of movies.

For some reason ‘The Big Chill‘ was the first movie that sprang to mind. If you’re not familiar with the story, basically a whole bunch of college friends reunite many years later for a funeral and end up spending a weekend together at the house of Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close). They spend their time catching up and discussing where ‘it all went wrong or right’. Anyway, one of the characters (Meg) is desperate for a child and she decides to ask one of the men in the group to ‘help her out’. Pick of the crop is apparently Harold, and Sarah consents to them sleeping together. Now that’s a really lovely way for Sarah to help her friend, but I’m sorry I just could not be THAT good a friend. I’d be happy to offer support and talk through the range of options with Meg, but allowing her to sleep with my husband…no I’m sorry, I don’t think that would be happening.

In ‘Thelma & Lousie‘, what starts out as a fun road trip quickly gets out of hand after Thelma (Geena Davis) is attacked, with Louise (Susan Sarandon) killing the man involved. The two women are then officially ‘on the run’. Evading police and committing further crimes along the way, the two women learn a lot about themselves, the nature of freedom and their relationships with men. They eventually find themselves the target of a high speed police chase which forces them to the very brink of an uncrossable canyon. Staying true to their vow of ’sticking together’, the women decide to ‘keep going’, and with that they drive off the edge of the cliff. Look I’m all for finding independence and standing by your decisions (and your friends), but faced with the choice of driving off a cliff to certain death, or taking my chances with the law, I’ll choose the law thank you very much as I’m quite fond of living.

Andy’s (Anne Hathaway’s) friends in ‘The Devil Wears Prada‘ feel that they no longer get the attention that they’re used to ever since Andy started her new (and in the long-term, completely fabulous) job. Yeah, what a way to be supportive guys! As far as I can tell Andy still manages to catch up with her friends as often as she can, and she generously provides them with awesome goodies from her work. If Andy was my friend, I’d spend less time whinging about never seeing her and instead make the most of the time that she was able to spare (or perhaps this sentiment could be stated more eloquently - You go girl!!). Life is about priorities, and sometimes in life career comes first, especially if it can lead to something even more amazing. (On a side note, I wonder whether the end of the book would bother me as much as the end of the movie did?).

‘Bridget Jones‘ (Renee Zellweger) is supported by her surrogate ‘urban family’ of friends (a concept that I really, really love). These are the type of friends that are there when you need them, who are happy to share a drink or two, with which you can share and obsess over every minute detail of your life, but who also know exactly when they should give you time alone (after all no one likes people that over-stay their welcome). This kind of arrangement sounds pretty good to me. 

I’ve been fortunate to have met and known some really wonderful people throughout my life so far, a handful of which I’ve been proud to name as friends. Given that life is all about balance, I’ve also had some bad experiences with people that are no longer friends. The major downside to these former friendships is that I am now more reluctant to bond with new people and openly trust that someone else may in fact be interested in all the boring and innane details of my life. This has meant that I tend to keep people at a distance - perhaps at too great a distance to form meaningful connections. I know this will change with time, and I’m sure that recognising what has come before is an important step in looking forward to what is yet to be.

In any event I won’t be letting any current or future friends sleep with my husband or happily allow them to drive me off a cliff. I will however stand by their career choices if it’s working for them and makes them happy, and I will be there when I’m needed with an attentive ear (and maybe a bottle of wine)…With any luck they’ll be prepared to do the same.