Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Lost Investments

We have to clean out the storage facility down the road from us. It's been with us for around eight years and now, it's time we emptied it out and used it for something else; before getting rid of it completely. It's just cost Mum and Dad too much money.
So, today, Mum and I went there this morning and pulled out a whole lot of stuff from it and found two boxes of magazines and books about the British Royal family had been devoured by what looked like termites. However, after we dragged the boxes out, we found they were seething and it was a nest of larvae moths have a great meal. We had to throw out the whole lot of magazines and books - all except three! - as none of it was salvageable. I'm not into the Royal Family personally, but it broke my heart when I found some things were from 1954 onwards, and other books were on the Queen Mother. It was dreadful. I tossed the whole lot into a large plastic bag while Mum told the manager of the facility and he came and helped us clean up and he offered to set off an ant/cockroach bomb in the place once we were finished. And he even called the pest control people. They were going to come out and have a look at the place. I said that it was most probably set off from the wet weather and the manager said that was exactly what the pest control people said; as well as the paper being really old.

But really, it's horrible when you go and collect something over a series of years only to lose it to little grubs or cockroaches while your back is turned. Being a book collector, I have a silent fear that my books are going to be attacked by silverfish or cockroaches at some point in their lives. However, I take such good care of them that it never happens. I move them around and keep the sun off their spines. They are well-cared-for books that I'm certain that they will be the type of collection my niece would love to read one day... they are a type of investment I'm sure will pay off at some point. And when it does, I'll be so pleased!

With technology moving so fast, I'm sure there will always be a place for books and old-style music. All we have to do is keep those things alive long enough for each generation to appreciate it; seeing their attention span is getting smaller by the day.

Also in the facility is my piano that I inherited from my late-Grandmother. This is something I loved to try to play when I was young during school holidays while Grandpa was constantly shouting from downstairs at their house for me to 'stop thumping the piano!' and bumping the floor with a pool cue. Now, it'll be my turn to try and learn to play through getting lessons from a local place. I'll have the piano to practice on and all of Grandma's music; not to mention, the time.

Learning to play an instrument, speak another language or even cook something new from a recipe book is an investment. To not do this at some point in your life is to lose something about yourself; to not want to understand or know more about yourself.
Life is about wanting to learn and finding out if you can do something - even if some people laugh at you at first. When you learn to do something for yourself, you advance your mind, your social circle and you increase your intellect a little more.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Old Buildings: Victims of Progress

In today's paper, I found an article on page 56. It talked about the absolutely gorgeous Regent's Theatre on the Queen Street Mall being torn down in the name of progress. How disgusting! How demoralising! How many beautiful buildings are going to disappear before we completely wipe out Brisbane's - and Queensland's - true history?

First it was 'The Shingle Inn' where generations of people used to buy cakes and have high tea in the old-fashioned booths. The walls were covered in early-last Century style wall coverings and the place had a massively high ceiling. Now, it's all in storage and the Brisbane City Council 'promises' to put it all back up when the time's right. They promised it would be done this year in May - or was it last year?

What bollox! What bull! What crap!





All the great theatres are gone - all except the Regent Theatre. And this 'great city' has done all this in the name of growth and progress. You know, if this was the UK... none of those theatres would be gone. None of them. They'd be preserved. Over in the UK and Europe, they preserve their past and let it get better with age as people walk around it awed at its beauty over time; at how the York Minster didn't have a roof for 250 years and that cathedral is 500 years old! And it's still there! A good part of London has seen many-a disaster from plague to flood and fires; but many of the buildings are over two hundred years old. They still have street signs on the buildings themselves; and not on the street corners. Yes, the Brits have the right idea about preserving old and aging buildings. Maybe - just maybe - we should be taking a page or two out of their book and started looking after our old buildings; not only Old Parliment House and the Windmill on Wickham Terrace. There are grander places than that; more beautiful places that we are missing; or are too blind to see.

But it's all politics isn't it. And it's all money... and greed.

Don't tell me it isn't because I know it's a lie. We all do. So. Are we all just going to let another landmark disappear into the winds of the ages all because the politicians say it's time for it to go? Or are we going to stand up and say: "NO!"
I'm sick to death of seeing my Grandmother's and Grandfather's places vanish on me. And another question is posed to me now. Where is BIFF* being held next year now that grand old theatre is going to be pulled down in the way of some shiny new 40-storey office blocks? Aren't there enough of them around already?! Pick another site! Because this theatre has a lot of life still left in her. She's old and grand; but she's still a popular place for a movie. She still pulls people in and gets the young kids looking in awe at the architecture that is no longer around.
And in case you're wondering what the building the Brisbane City Council
wants to build there looks like; here's the picture they're hoping it'll cast for us Brisbanites. Not very attractive or grand - well, it's crap compared to the Regent Theatre if you ask me.

*Brisbane International Film Festival


Monday, July 20, 2009

Homemade vs Sara Lee


This weekend just gone, I went to a family reunion and it was lovely. It was held at my cousin's house; which is huge! The food was gorgeous, everyone was laughing, the house was set on a large block of land out at Pullenvale; very picturesque. We all had a wonderful time catching up; as it had been around a decade since the last time we had been in the same place at the same time. We were a less a few people, but we also had a few young kids to make up the numbers.
Lunch was fantastic. It was just like Christmas where there's too much food and we couldn't taste test it all; but we wanted to. I made a Turkish Carrot dip that could be used as an appetiser and also a condiment (how ingenious!) and I wasn't the only vegetarian there; so there was enough food for all types of appetites. We had coffee, tea and soft drinks and then dessert came out. And this is where I found the food part kind of fell down a little. My Mum made an Impossible Pie and there were a few other home made delights. So, I grabbed some of the pie and home made goodies and sat down at the table; whereas most of the rest of them stood up and ate. Then, out came the Sara Lee frozen pies. They had been defrosted and were looking a little like plastic goo... and they tasted like plastic as well! I remember when these pies would taste as good as they looked on the box. If it said 'chocolate torte' it tasted rich and creamy... not like plastic. And this thing tasted like plastic in comparison to the Impossible Pie I had just eaten.

When the subject was brought up on the way home, Dad said that the Sara Lee stuff tasted like plastic because I was used to home made food and I never ate out. I guess it pays to learn to cook good food and eat it; knowing what herbs go well in the food you're cooking counts as well. However, if you're used to eating out at the Hungry Jacks and McDonalds, you will most probably not taste a difference. But I do seeing I can't afford to eat out too often. Fast food is destroying our tastebuds and it's not good for us in the first place; so why eat it in the first place? Because it's convenient. Because it's easy. Because it's no-fuss, no-muss. Yeah? Well, it wasn't that long ago that we didn't have any overweight people in society.
When you saw sporting events and the camera panned over the spectators, the majority of them didn't have the weight problems that are around now.
What I'm saying is to have a good look at what you're eating. Is what you've put onto your plate for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or even a snack), a homemade meal or something you just tossed into the microwave because you can't be bothered getting out the pots and pans?
Now, I'm no saint when it comes to food; I'll eat some bad food. My vise is vegetarian nachoes; and they're very delicious and bad for me. However, I don't have them all the time. They are my once-in-a-while food; my comfort food. Food is supposed to nourish us and feed our bodies, not be the cancer that destroys us and shortens our lives.
So, think the next time you're out.

When you're in the city next, will you opt for Hungry Jacks or Sushi? My personal choice is Sushi.

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Grass Is Always Greener?

Years ago, I traveled; and I loved it. However, when I look around my house, I feel like it was somebody else who went and did those trips overseas. I have photo albums full of pictures, journals full of places I went in my handwriting and souvenirs from all over... however I feel as though all this travelling was done by somebody else in another life - in another parallel universe. It wasn't me. Sure, I'm in those photos and I wrote those postcards to everyone and gave those gifts... however, it's been so long and those memories like faded, yellowing photographs in my mind.

I long to get into the world and travel across the miles and into another country, another culture and enjoy them all again. It's something I've missed over the years and I wish I could just jump on a plane with my passport stamped, boarding pass in hand and take off anywhere I liked just because I felt like a break. Being low on cash is a problem. So, I travel in different ways - through watching films and reading books - to try and fix that travel itch. I even wrote a poem about having the itchy feet problem called 'The Itch' and it was a great success in my writers' guild (however, I'll put it in to another post soon).

Every time I see somebody off at the airport, I feel a stab of envy that they are about to enjoy a fabulous trip to another country that I may never see. Then there's the people who I don't know who are going overseas too... their friends are happy - yet sad - to see them off too.
I remember a few years back, a group of Y-Generations were seeing off a friend of theirs to America. He was going to live there because that's where his new job was. One girl next to me burst into tears saying she'd never see him again. I said that she's lucky it's not twenty years earlier. On asking why, I said that the postage systems are better, there's the internet, e-mail, texting and Skype. She considered what I said and smiled saying that before she knows it, he'd be back for a visit and it'll be like he never left.

When I visited the UK, it was 1997. I found the place amazing and beautiful. My visit was seven weeks long and I made the most of every moment there; photographing everything I saw and buying souvenirs and books I thought I'd never find here (and sure enough there were a few I couldn't find anywhere!). However, while I was there, Lady Diana and Dodi passed away and I witnessed a country in mourning. I watched as the lines grew long to write in the gorgeous leatherbound books that were delivered to each city around England by the Royal Family so the people could give their own person condolences. I traveled to Cambridge to write mine and waited for about an hour in line. I placed a Sunflower at a pretty church in St. Neots where I was staying and said a prayer. But I was in Chester for the funeral; where you could walk down the street and it was completely empty. However, you couldn't get into London because it was full to capacity. After the funeral, the family I was staying with - the Berry's - and I went into the city of Chester and walked around to see what everyone else was doing. Main attractions with Diana's name on them were closed, one man who did chalk drawings at The Cross had people lining up to give him money for his breath-taking drawings of Diana in her Princess days. He had massive coffee tins filling with money as he worked. I even got a few photos of flowers that had been placed here and there before going to Chester; however the people didn't appreciate it, calling me a paparatzi (all because I had a Pentax Z10 at the time; a rather chunky kind of film camera). I still got the shots and I'm glad I did - as it's history that I'll most probably never witness again.

When I arrived home, I told my family that this holiday was most probably going to be in my memory for a very long time due to who died while I was there. It's hard for me to talk about Diana; even now. She was an important person in the world as she touched everyone in some way.

Strangely enough, I find whenever anyone travels, something very important will occur. The last time my folks flew overseas, Peter Brock died. They hadn't been told on the plane and I had to tell them when they next phoned from Canada. It was big news here and I had kept all the newspapers for my parents so they could read them when they got home.

I would love to travel again... be it near or far; it's the thrill of taking off and landing in another country. I love visiting places that aren't home, eating the food and living the culture for that little while.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bargain Buys

I love shopping at charity shops. Really. I buy most of my clothes, books and items from these places; I also purchase my coin purse from charity shops too. It makes me wonder what makes people throw out so much good stuff when it's still useful... well, besides decluttering their homes and rooms. Hey, I give generously to charities on a regular basis because the some of the stuff in my house has gone beyond its used-by date.

Yesterday, I was at a Life Line Store not far from my house and I found a few small things that would make my life a lot easier. One of them was a set of circular needles - longer ones than what I had - because to purchase them new was to fork out more than what I was prepared to pay.
I also found a brilliant book! It was a Michael Whelan book 'Works of Wonder' it was fantastic and so cheap. But when I arrived at my folks' house today,I looked it up on www.bookfound.com and found it was worth a lot more than what I purchased it for... what an amazing find! I really didn't expect this kind of thing.

It's not often I find a great thing like. However, it's always wonderful to score a find such as this. And they are all out there in our charity stores and in the markets on weekends; but you have to be on the lookout for them. It's not as though these things will jump out at you. The Michael Whelan book didn't. It was up on a top shelf in the book section of the Life Line store and if I hadn't looked up at the top shelf (which I usually do in case there's any books which are hiding on me up there), I would never have found it.

But books aren't the only things that I have found at charity shops which have been bargain buys. I often find really nice clothes which are practically brand new for a quarter of the price. Or I'll occasionally find a vinyl or two that aren't scratched by some heartless soul who thinks other people don't wish to listen to them. I also love to use old handbags that are from the 1970's too; so long they look retro and not up-to-date, I'll use them. However, it's not always the the 1970's look I end up with funnily enough; yesterday, I picked up a nice streamline-look-alike backpack for around $5.00. Now, that was a great bargain!

So, do tell. Where have you picked up a great bargain? And where's your favourite place to go to relax and buy exactly what you need at the price you like?

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Collections and Collectors

Each time I watch one of my favourite shows - 'Collectors' - on the ABC here in Australia, I always learn something new about a certain thing; be it about tractors, engines, Australian history or how things were done. Usually, it's through their Mystery Object where I learn the most interesting things; sometimes I get the name of the object, other times I make a wild guess and am surprised that I get it... or not!
Otherwise the show is about accentric people who collect a mirade of things.
The most interest people who are on the show are usually the ones sitting on the couch as they are collectors of the most unusual things; as well as having a living also. It's their guests who I find brilliant too, and how they have found certain objects to collect for the most unusual reasons... or they've just found their obsession something they can't stop themselves from collecting.

As you know, I collect coin purses and vinyls; however there's books, bookmarks, dvds and J.R.R Tolkien books and goblets I have too. However, I don't just collect anything with Tolkien's name on it, a lot of the time, it's usually something that I know is out of print, is a collector's item from one of the movies or I've accidentally stumbled upon in my travels and didn't know it was rare until somebody told me (which happens more than you know!).
However, I come from a long line of collectors. We collect all kinds of things for all kinds of reasons. My late-Grandfather collected pens: all kinds of pens; and he was also a big reader (I think that's where my love of books and knowledge comes
from). Then, as I grew older, I found my parents collected sets of glasses, vinyls (lots of those) and other things too; which I've inherited. The one thing I've found with collectors is that they have a very detailed knowledge about their collection. Usually they have books or have joined clubs on what they collect and have sought out like-minded people. And it's often something most of us would throw away during a garage sale and not think twice about somebody buying the whole lot of the items set out to be sold for next to nothing. This is because collectors see something in those bits of nothing you've put onto that table. They know your trash is their treasure and all they need to do is clean it up, fix it and put it back together and it'll work. However, if it's already working, a good clean is what it needs and it's ready for the collection; and they can cross off another one off their growing list of collections.

Collecting something is fun - be it ear-rings, books, keychains, spoons or clocks - it's something to keep us forever out there looking for something better for the collection. It doesn't have to be more expensive, just something different. So, tell me, what do you collect; and if there's a reason, why?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Entertain Me!

We are currently halfway through the Winter Holidays here in Australia and it's been freezing cold, wet and fine... sounds confusing but it's true. We've had freezing cold days, wet days and nice fine days but windy too. So, a lot of the time has been spent inside the home with our families or out in the glorious Aussie weather with them.

I love this weather; however when it does turn against us, it does get a little wet and miserable, I often remember when I was young what would happen when the weather turned against us during out holidays. I was a reader; so I read a lot whenever the weather got cold or wet. I've also noticed that when I was younger, there was a lot more we could do than sit in front of a computer and surf the internet or put on a dvd (or in our case, a video) and watch an afternoon of movies with popcorn done up on the stove.

Yep, a lot has changed over the years from when I was young.

My brother and I spent more time at our Grandparents' house during our school holidays; and believe me, there was a lot of stuff to do there! We had the piano to play (with clean hands - of course!), pool/billiards under the house on the quarter-size table under the house, the library of books to peruse in the side verandah and we could help Grandma cook up a storm in the kitchen. Or we could kill ourselves on the home made go-kart that Grandpa had in the back shed; which had no brakes, but that was okay.
We'd go tearing down the front footpath without a care if anyone was coming out of their driveways, without a helmet on, without brakes and ended up three houses down in somebody's front yard; or up against a bush on the footpath. This was fun and this was entertainment! Forget how dangerous this kind of thing was, however. We didn't think of that; because a few years later on, both my older brother and I were avid skateboarders and we stacked it numerous times - all without a helmet or pads to be seen on us.

Yep, entertainment in the 1980's was certainly very different; not to say that we didn't have computers back then, just that the computer age was just starting to take off that's all. It was still finding its feet and still a little on the bulky side to be able to carry it anywhere where you didn't look weird with a laptop on a desk. Laptops were around, but they were large and bulky and hard to work on. They were slow and the battery didn't last very long; and then there was the memory in them! They weren't the best compared to the ones we have today which look like something that came from a outa space in comparison.
And then, you had the cassette tapes, vinyls, walkmans and ghetto blasters. Cassette tapes were our cd's of the day and if you owned some, you were privelaged and had some money; same with owning a walkman (and just by coincidence, this very brand put out by Sony has just turned 30 this year on July 1st). Ghetto Blasters were large'n'loud radios that some people carried around. They were mainly used to set a beat for dancing in the streets - breakdancing - and it was often done in crowds with a large piece of cardboard in the centre where all the dancing was done. This was fun and entertaining. It's not done very much anymore as it's extremely retro. What I loved to own - and still do - is vinyls. Yep, I just can't walk away from them. They are something which are still around in this century and seem to be returning trend; however they're not a trend, they've always been there - gotten better with age.

Now, entertainment is a lot different; it's more computerised and not as close to home as it used to be. There's YouTube and the internet that's available absolutely everywhere (and not just to a few people to communicate like it was the first time it was used in the 1960's). The dvds are better quality than VCR tapes and they don't chew up; instead, they are likely to get scratched and you're likely to lose a few chapters of a movie if you're not careful. We have music that we can take with us on a pocket-sized unit called an iPod and it hold our entire collection of cds on its memory as well as have a radio on board too.

And if that's not enough, the way we communicate by telephone has completely changed around... but that's another blog for another time.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Is Mia Speling oph?


When I was younger and had only begun my reading, I found that my spelling was better than most of the kids in my class. I wasn't the best, however, I wasn't the worst either; but I was pretty good. As I got older, and began collecting books for the sheer pleasure of what was between the pages, I just had to get myself to spell better because I noticed something about the books I was reading: the spelling in them was horrible! Now, don't get me wrong, there are writers who can spell and have a brilliant vocabulary and I commend them for that; however, it's not their fault that the past tenses and present tenses get mixed up in their work. No. It's the proofreader and editor of their books. I find that when I've written a book, I make sure I've spelt the words correctly in the way I have been taught; not the way society is slowly changing. I was taught to spell the UK way and that's how all my books' spelling has been done. So far, I haven't had any complaints from anyone.
My Mum and I had a talk today about people and their spelling. It is true that people of today don't read enough to spell well. Also, texting with their mobile phones has made people bad spellers all due to them shortening words just to save on using space on the screen of their phones. It's totally ridiculous! So, if kids today are spelling like this on their phones, how are their spelling skills (and any other skills for that matter) going to suffer in the future? Will they be able to apply for a job when the time comes? I was taught to spell the same way my parents were; and I spell better than most kids now. So, how are they being taught now?

But this isn't an a new fight. This spelling fight about how words are supposed to be spelt is very old and dare I say, will be continuing for a long time yet. I spell the way I do because firstly, I'm an Australian and the words I write are written the way they are because it's how I was taught; and I don't wish to pick up another way of spelling because of a running trend. Secondly, I'm a writer. I've seen all kinds of mistakes in the written word; and it's not going to stop all because I've said something.

Being able to spell is important. It's something that we all
need to know how to do as it says something about your intellect, your mind and how much you care about yourself. Being a good speller tells people that you are confident and says that you know you are a good person; even if you don't look outwardly good-looking, your mind is in good shape. And keeping your spelling and grammar in good shape is all-important as you get older as it will keep you in touch with more modern things and help you as the world changes around you to adapt to newer things. So, keep your spelling up and learn all ways of spelling - not just one.