/a/muse(d)

Made this silly hat for a Mad Hatter’s tea party that I’m attending tonight. I’ve always wanted to go to a Mad Hatter’s tea party!

As I sit here, Ben is in the kitchen cooking dinner for us both - some kind of Bengali delicacy that smells exquisite. It’s part of a master plan designed to get me through the last two days of prac with my sanity intact. I’ve just completed the penultimate day, and Friday will be the last day of unpaid teaching I have to do ever. (I hope!) I’m still in control of all mental and physical faculties, (as far as I can tell), so it seems that his plan is working. I like coming home to random displays of compassion and affection.

Actually, I just like coming home.

Your Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind. You pull off “weird” well - hardly anyone notices.

Or something like that.

I guess today is special in a few ways.

Today, I taught my first full school day without supervision. Ever. Seems it will be the first of many. I feel slightly proud but mainly exhausted.

More importantly, this seems to be the day when we can celebrate the end of the Mighty Thesis, which Ben has completed and handed in. Finally. The ride has not been without its fair share of hiccups, flipouts and headdesks, but for all intents and purposes, the battle is over. And I am pleased to report that we are both alive and still very much married.

Come to think of it, on this day, 10 months ago, Ben and I woke up for the first time as married people. I recall it was a lovely morning.

Well, last night finally arrived after a month and a half of anticipation. Ellie and I caught the train into Newtown and met Jess and Lucy for dinner at a little Pakistani resturaunt which could actually have been in Pakistan, except for the fact that you wouldn’t get sick from drinking the water or eating the lettuce. It was inexpensive and the food excellent. You could watch them making naan in a tandoori oven…thrills!

After dinner came the highlight of the evening…a birthday present of tickets to see ‘Merchants of Bollywood’ at the Enmore theatre!

It was in every way Bollywood, except without the excessive violence and bad special effects. A singing, dancing spectacular, complete with lip-synching, brilliant costumes, colour, comedy and amazing choreography. Set in the context of a succesful young Bollywood choreographer’s reminiscences and journey back to her hometown to reconcile with her dying alcholholic grandfather (who was once also a brilliant choreographer), the history of the Bollywood phenomenon was traced from its more traditional dance style beginings in black and white film, to the high-energy, disco-style, revealing outfit-wearing dance of Hindi movies today. It was very funny in parts, melodramatic in others, and made a point of openly admitting that all Bollywood films are essentially the same, simply set apart by their individual dances and songs.

I was amazed at the dancers, the costumes and the sheer volume of choreography and practice that must have gone into making the dances (of which the show was almost totally comprised) so seamless. It was fun to hear well known songs from Bollywood films, and hear the reactions of Indian members of the audience when well known actors or dancers came onstage. It was the sort of show which you hoped would not stop, but keep trailing you along in it’s sparking blur of colours and movement, which made you want to dance too. At the end, the cast made the audience stand up and ‘dance’ for them, beginning with a traditional Indian arm and shoulder movement and moving to the John Travolta style ceiling-floor move. That’s one way to ensure a standing ovation!

As is the case with many Bollywood movies, this show was sweet, entertaining escapism. Five very enthusiastic thumbs up.

I’m on holidays! Not having to go to uni is a wonderful thing, and I’m especially enjoying the lack of Monday or Tuesday uni. Those are not good uni days.

So far, I have celebrated my break by cleaning the kitchen, helping a friend shop for a wedding dress, going to a lingere party, making masquerade masks, reading the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia, doing some uni work, cutting Ben’s hair, having my hair cut and sleeping quite alot. The weather has fluctuated from beautifully sunny and warm to beautifully wet and drizzly, both of which are fine with me.

This week holds dinner with my family tonight, dinner with Ben’s family in the mountains tomorow night and sleeping over at Blackheath, Muzz and Ellies engagement party on Thursday, and getting our new car on Friday. On Saturday we head to Wagga Wagga for a friend’s 21st, and back to Sydney n Sunday for curch etc. Adventures abounding.

The more observant ones among you may have noticed the new addition to my links list. Loz doodles was set up to meet a uni course requirement, but I’ve found that I finally have somewhere to indulge in my shameless self promotion and post some of the artworks and doodles that have been germinating in my sketchbooks/ lecture notes/ living room for some time. It’s much easier to post the pictures there than here, so there it shall be. Check it out if you want another excuse to not work/write essays/sleep etc.

Abstract:
-Reachout was excellent.
-I’m now a lovely even number again.

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