Why yes, I am an Aussie that likes Halloween

So a trend that I have noticed...
Parents and adults in Australia don't like Halloween because it is 'American' and the kids eat too much candy (to which I would like to point out - they do that everyday. I know because I was a kid once). And my room-mate is on their side saying it is a stupid 'American' tradition and shouldn't be encouraged in Australia.

So, I am that strange Aussie that actually enjoys it. And here is why

1) CANDY! After Easter Sunday, it is the next biggest intake of chocolate and all things sugar.

2) Outfits are awesome! Face it, there really isn't that many excuses to dress up to either scare people or show-off.

3) THIS! Which was horrifying at the time for me, but I love it. Love it, love it, love it. Go watch it, or listen to the soundtrack - it's a win either way for you.

4) Scaring people - A slightly sadistic reason, but once in a while IT IS fun to scare people

5) It seems that many of the cultures around the world and across human history have celebrated the dead and departed souls. I have a love for all these festivals! The colour of Day of the Dead especially.

So whether it is All Hallow Eve, Halloween, All Souls Day - whatever you want to call it, there is always something fun to do or see when there is a festival on, so why be so against one because of how it has been developed in a one particular country? Australian's can put their own stamp on the night as well - we have so many terrible ghost stories in Brisbane alone and look at the Australian Aboriginal to find some of the most scarist spirits and creatures around.

Dress up as a Drop Bear! Wail like a Bunyip! Stomp around and jump out like the Yowie!

But if people are anything like my room-mate, they won't stop whingeing until the whole thing is over.

So here is some stuff I did today, 'cause tomorrow I need to start studying for my exams.

First off...!

Mortica, Wednesday and Marie Antoinette.

For something spook-tacular. I have actually watched some of the old 1960s episodes in the past few days. I can't use watercolours to save my picture at all.

I also went shopping today. Dad would laugh, and Owen certainly rolled his eyes when he looked through the bag. Dolls. I bought Monster High dolls.

The two on the left (Spider and Centaur/Harpy) are the new ones. I also bought one for Mum, but that is staying in the parcel until she gets it.

I also went into Uni to a pop-up exhibition at the Antiquities Museum about Curiousity Cabinets done by some of the students/interns from one of my Classes. It was good, and I saw some of my other Uni-mates. I also had Owen with me, who was clearly out of his depth (and only sticking around because I said he could have the candy I left out for trick-or-treaters when we got back and he wore the witch hat). But he did well.

So here is one embarrassing picture from his candy 'haul'.

Look! He did wear the hat. Watching QI and eating a Wizz Fizz. Wait, are Wizz Fizz's eaten or just absorbed?

He is going to kill me after he sees this.

So, now Beetlejuice is on. And I haven't seen it yet, so if you excuse me, my Halloween is just getting started (and Owen has left the candy on the table - so it's mine now).

Happy Hallow's Eve and All Souls Day everyone! Have a great day and spooky night!

A Studio Ghibli Showcase

How is everyone going today?

I took Mitch and Owen to the cinemas today. They were playing a few Studio Ghibli movies and two documentaries. While Studio Ghibli is most renowned for Hayao Miyazaki films (like 'Princess Mononoke', 'Laputa Castle in the Sky', 'Spirited Away' etc) there are other movies. So on the agenda today was 'The Wind Rises' and 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'.

Both movies are around 2 hours each, but it wasn't a Lord of the Rings 3 hour movie or marathon, so that is always a plus.

I liked both of them, had to cover my eyes in 'The Wind Rises' a handful of times (look, I just do not like romance - of any kind), but I really did love the style of 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' even though it had a downer ending. It was very amusing close to the end of the movie when I looked over at Owen and asked if he was going to complain about the lack of gravity. He didn't because gravity started to work again, then... His face fell as me and Mitch laughed.

It was a good day, and I left feeling drained as well as a little bit upset. 1) That no matter what I can do, there will always be someone better. 2) Why can I never write a piece of music that I am happy with (this thought came about as I remembered just how extensive the movie composer's repertoire is).

Mum is not allowed to say anything about anything else - she knows a third reason, but she is only allowed to reply to the two on here

Still a wonderful day that I got to spend with friends, but I am a bit tired, and I should be doing work. I'm not going to, I'm just going to work on a side project for a little bit.

So what are your favourite Studio Ghibli movies? Have you seen them before? Do you have another favourite foreign film? Mine is 'Library Wars', but I'm completely bias with that.

Have a fantastic day everyone!

Life is...

Busy, busy, busy.
Sleep, oversleep.

So I have been incredibly slack with work. I'm meant to be writing an essay on the Reneissance debate of Disegno (that Vasari praised highly in Florentine artists, mostly Michelangelo) and Colore (which Dolce and other Venetian humanists valued in art). A week ago, I was in the newly finished driftwood studio painting with Mum when Dad came in and we talked about the topic. More about how we should be grateful to the debate between these 16th Century artists and writers because it provides us with an insight into the process of creating art as well as what particular audiences valued.

Naturally, I believe art should have elements of both (and most art do). Anyway, as I said I was painting with Mum. I had drawn/designed an image in my idea book that I had wanted to paint. With my book in hand, I grabbed two canvas and applied paint. And then it was a process of me matching the image 'correctly' and fixing all my mistakes (much to Mum's annoance when I started to sigh or groan - but I am a perfectionist)

SO! Here are the pictures of the finished product.

So this looks a bit weird to me...

Ah, much better! I kept the backgrounds plain because I was too afraid that I would screw up the painting.

Life is Fun & Colourful

Life is Boring & Monochrome

In case it is hard to tell, I have two opposing views on life...

1) I enjoy life and most of the people in it for giving this small world a huge variety of ideas/inspiration/colour

2) I dislike life (hate is too strong a word) and the idiots in it that take away the variety and spice that makes the world alive.

It is rather funny, out of me and Trin, I'm the happier one yet I have the bleakest outlook on life and expect the worse in people (as well as understand some of the underlying principles that govern politics and people). While Trin is angry and upset a lot of the time recently, she has a bright outlook, seems (to me) to be very naive when it comes to the world and expects everyone to be 'good'.

We fight a lot nowadays and I don't think she likes it when I'm around.

Anyway! Like the painting? I better get back to cleaning my room so that I can then start on Vasari and Dolce and Michelangelo and Titan and some-other-dude-whose-name-I-have-forgotten. ... Busy, busy, busy!

Have a wonderful day everyone! I hope you all see that bright side of life!


P.S. Happy (Very Late) Belated Birthday Stacy! Hope you had a great day!
P.P.S. I totally did not mean to slightly reference Monty Python. But since I did...