Here's a picture of some fried ice cream I had last Sunday night...and my Hokkien noodles, both from a local Vietnamese restaurant. Just thought I'd post these for your viewing pleasure...
In other news also went to see The Perks of a Wallflower the other day - was better than anticipated. I would reveal that I kept crying, but that could totes ruin my street cred, so I won't. Was nicely done, good choice of cast too... I would recommend it, probably the best movie I've seen in a while (however I rarely see [good] movies, so that's not a particularly difficult title to gain - keep your expectations low and you'll probably enjoy) Good soundtrack too...
Going to be working like a mad dog this coming week - opening the shop 3 days, closing on Saturday and my shortest shift is 5 hours, longest is 9.
Today, however I'm off to do some giftwrapping like a boss. Here's to hoping all the items that I'm given are perfectly rectilinear/rectangular prisms/cubes... wish me luck :)
SO, I finished folio almost a month ago now, and while the first Friday of November usually marks the beginning of endless relaxation (and the accompanying boredom), I've managed to keep myself fairly occupied since then. (as Junaberry has frequently reminded me, I NEED structured activities)
This will probably be a fairly boring blog post, but I figure I'll just get everyone up to speed with what I've been up to...
Immediately after folio there was Open House *insert city in which I reside*. As an architecture student, I was SO KEEN for this and really enjoyed it. It served to get me even more pumped and excited about architecture in this city and allowed me to familiarise myself with the different architecture firms, that I may, in future, be employed by. Naturally the main sites I was interested in visiting were the architecture firms (good to get your face out there too, I think) so I managed to make it to around 3/4 of those that were open. There were a couple that stood out -
1. a well established and relatively large commercial practice
and on the other hand
2. a small sustainability oriented practice (that admittedly I had not heard of prior)
It was interesting to see how the different places operated/were set up. While, obviously destination 1 would be a highly respectable and probably exciting/busy place to work, I feel like I'd lean towards option 2. While their office was modest, it was sort of quirky (desks made of reclaimed/recycled doors with plants, natural light, etc dominating the environment) which I liked. Definite contrast to the first, but I loved them both.
I've been thinking quite a lot about my future as an architect, and the kind of work I'd ideally like to get involved in. (problem is how to balance this with actually having money to live, etc) There are a few really great sounding NGOs and other agencies that do work in the field of architecture, though I'm not sure how readily available opportunities to get involved in these will be where I live.
I recently went to a meeting for the last one, to sign up as a volunteer, so I'm hoping some things will come up that I can get involved in. Have also started reading this book (been wanting to read it for years, and only recently discovered the uni library has it):
It showcases a number of design responses to humanitarian crisis and community housing issues. (from temporary tent/shelters to community centres) It's a really interesting read for anyone interested in how design (the importance of which is often devalued in society) can be used to improve the quality of life, etc for people. Once I finished this, I'm going to try get my hands on a copy of a Design Like You Give A Damn 2.
Some stand outs:
Been a fan of Shigeru Ban for a while now:
Paper Log Houses
(they are exactly what they sound like - structures made of cardboard tubes)
I also though Nader Khalili's Super Adobe/Cal-Earth domes were interesting:
Where the above turns into something like this:
But that's enough of that for now.
I have more the post about, particularly my Summer holiday job/travel plans, among other things, however I think I'll leave it there for now. On a side note, finally bought San Cisco/Last Dinosaurs albums yesterday. GOOD STUFF INDEED.
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are SO CUTE. Well, I think they make a nice couple anyways.
Just watched them on The View.
If I thought I couldn't love Kristen Bell more, this proved me wrong. Mad respect, yo.
(you can skip the JB part if you like)
Note her peplum top ;)
This is a trailer for the movie they're promoting:
I'm trying to watch it now, but I think I've killed my internet this month, so it's taking forever to load.
Less than 1.5 days left... (which most likely means less than 1.5 days of blogging left)
Went for lunch/shopping with Stan, Big M and Little S today. (in an attempt to spend the little time we have left together) Came home with socks, underwear and a full stomach. Not the most exciting purchases, but beats staying at home... OH and I also bought Canola oil (on special at Woolies!), broccoli and tomatoes, as requested by my mother. (SO MUCH EXCITEMENT)
Naturally our first major stop was OK-Mart, but I'm sad to say, my ol' reliable store, let me down. The clothing was pretty tasteless. (Little S compared it to Supre - harsh, but accurate) Got three pairs of socks for $2 though, which was good.
Went to the food court for lunch (classy). Naturally I had Sumo Salad, Stan had Salsas, Big M had Sumo and KFC and Little S had KFC and Red Rooster. (ironic how the littlest of us all had the most unhealthy meal...though to be fair, she hadn't had breakfast and usually doesn't eat like this - except for having 2 dinners every now and then) ...the fact that they hit up multiple fast food joints sounds more impressive, but I assure you my meal (surely by weight/volume) was larger. I had 3 varieties of the pre made deli salads (medium size): spicy lentils and couscous - falafel, barley and quinoa - falafel barley and cous cous - or something like that. They were all good and complemented one another. I can't believe I managed to finish the whole thing! (OK, I'm lying - of course I finished the whole thing, it is ME we're talking about here.) That said I'm still stuffed 4 hours after having finished this... was the most filling thing I've ever had from Sumo Salad. Sometimes this particular one can be stingy (the city food court is generally more generous) but this time they piled it on. (BEST PART was I got it for free, because I had been saving my Sumo points)
MY LUNCH.
STAN'S LUNCH... a burrito of some sort (I think)
BIG M'S LUNCH. (blurred pic of KFC above - she was trying to shove my camera away to hide her shame) and her small Sumo salad (look's pretty gross here, to be honest because of the dressing on the lid)
LITTLE S had a KFC burger and Red Rooster chips...I didn't manage to acquire photographic evidence of this.
Afterwards we shopped around a little and stopped by the op shop across the road, but I was disappointed by their selection also. Then Stan and I went to Woolworths (to get oil obvously) and after to the fruit and veg shop, where we were accosted by an elderly asian lady, who (if I heard correctly) asked us if we were Chinese and reached into her handbag, presumably to pull out the pamphlets/whatever they were that were inside. Stan politely declined for us and we proceeded to browse the fresh produce. Then we met Big M and Little S at the bus station (they had gone to acquire a metallic pen from a newsagency) and made our journey home. Stan chuckled to herself on the bus...Little S became concerned.
Now I'm at home. Been on the internet a bit. Stan asked me to put up the photos she took of me whilst I was eating today in a folder called 'walk throughs'. I was confused.
Our conversation went like this:
STAN: littlemishelle, can i suggest making a folder called "walk through" and putting a bunch of the model shots i took of you up on facebook?!?!?! SO FUNNEH.
ME: wait...walk through?
STAN: THAT MODEL THING TYRA IS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT.
ME: ??? All I remember from Tyra is 'smizing'. *'SMEYES-ING'
STAN: that thing where the models go into audition at model agencies or whatever with their portfolios and shit.
ME: OH a 'go-see'?? LOL
STAN: LOL YEAH. what's a walk through lmao? i think that's from the devil wears prada actually...
Just for the record, don't judge our reference to top modelling and such. I used to watch ANTM in my youth, but now find it incredibly embarassing/ridiculous to watch. In other news I have started reading 'The Help' by Kathyn Stockett (I'm sure you all know about this considering it was made into a movie - which I have not yet seen) I'm only about 30 pages in, but am liking it so far (the writing style is easy to get into)
Music of the moment:
I discovered this project last year in my precedent research and it has since been referenced by other people I know/my last studio coordinator. Modern Japanese design = flawless.
8:36am: Go to the grocery store to buy food for the chumps who decided to come over today. Get: bag of pretzels, pandan buns, Aloo Tikki snacks and frozen corn cobs. Get home and become concerned that my food reserves are insufficient.
9:36 am: Get on the bus to go buy calico with little s to make a banner for our Save the Children group. (WAIT, make that 9:41 or thereabouts because the bus was running late...no surprise there)
...okay too lazy to think back to what happened at what time now... basically we bought calico and got on the next bus home. (riveting stuff) From this journey I learnt that little s is infatuated with the elderly...and we must be careful not to leave her alone with them, else she may take them home with her. When we neared the local shopping centre, I decided I didn't have enough food to accomodate the ravenous fiends who would soon invade my home. Bought some chickpeas, baby spinach leaves and snow peas (decided to make a salad... devo that avocado was so in poor condition/pricey) and got some lotus and red bean buns.
Got back, made salad, put on Across the Universe for Little S to watch (I say for little s, but it was secretly for me) and waited for pinkham to get here to help with the banner. (her lettering skills were required) Next came Big M and Kevin... by this point it was 12:30-1:00pm... naturally we ate lunch shortly after their arrival. I was disgusted when Big M brought a McDonalds salad into my house. I tried to mask this disgust.
My salad: baby spinach leaves, carrot, chickpeas, snow peas, cashews, small amount of pepitas and some mashed up aloo tikki. I enjoyed it (tasted better than it looks here, to me at least), but the last ingredient was more spicy than desired by some of the crew...to this I say MAN UP... jks my apologies.
Corn cobs and some whole aloo tikki. From this I learnt that Big M is keen on frozen corn cobs.
So we spent the day painting our banner, eating food and whatever. Wynn dropped by and Stan came soon after. (I'm surprised everyone fit into my house to be honest... don't be offended if you weren't asked to come... it was initially just going to be little s, pinkham and I, but these other folks can't get enough of me, obviously) We managed to finish the banner. Was a tad awkward when Mum got home though... as in we all went silent and pinkham attempted to continue a discussion, with talk of uni courses... I was amused. Whipped out the steamed buns when everyone was there... they were a hit.
Totes dominated Kevin at a game of pool. He was concerned that he was losing to a girl. I berated him for this comment and continued to embrace my glorious success. Also looked at some primary school class photos for the laughs. Highlight of the day was when Stan was admiring the 'Children' in 'Save the Children' (my portion of the banner) ...this is probably an indication of my need for approval, but lets not dwell on deep rooted psychological issues ... Banner ('poster') painting LIKE A BOSS, YO.
... I'm sure I'm forgetting any moderately interesting/exciting things that may have happened today, but I'm tired/lazy... and I've shared my food pictures, so I think my job is done here. Also, I actually LOVE Jimmy Fallon so much. Watched him tonight, as I often do - episode with Bill Cosby/No Doubt. He's adorable... funny, intelligent, aesthetically pleasing... I think he's the best Late Night host out. Watch him, if you don't already.
Listening to this right now...
Gonna go brush my teeth now. (cool story bro)
x
EDIT// I remember the funniest part of this day. When Big M, Kevin, Stan and I were sitting in my bedroom on floor cushions. (2 per cushion) Kevin points to ours and says 'LOOK A COCKROACH' and Stan squeals and leaps up (practically hitting her head on the roof). THE END.
Stan: *looks confused* What are those things called?? (referring to eiffel tower shaped bottle)
Me: uh...bottles?
Stan: YES!
I worry about that child.
Spent the day with Stan, bought clothes and ate burgers. The usual.
HOWEVER to MIX THINGS UP (we're SO adventurous and like to live life on the edge) we went to Jus burgers INSTEAD of Grill'd. (more out of laziness/time efficiency than anything else - it was past 12:30 so naturally we were dying of hunger) While I am loyally devoted to Grill'd, my impression of Jus has improved from this dining experience. Last time I got a tempeh burger and whilst I was happy with it and enjoyed it, I felt Grill'd was better value in that the patties were thicker, they put more salad, etc in the burger. Despite being perhaps the most messy think I have ever eaten in my life (we made quite a classy pair) I enjoyed lunch today though, and as is generally the case post burger consumption I was really full afterwards.
My chickpea patty burger (a falafel style chickpea patty with 'middle eastern relish' and salad)
I am really grateful that they provide a knife to cut the burger and multiple (and luxuriously thick) napkins (as they are essential!) ... larger plates would be better though
This is Stan's 'Pommy burger' because she's so exotic....
Got some decent bargains today:
Bag: $2.00 (Cotton On)
It was $2...how could I not buy it?
Shorts: $2.50 (Jay Jays)
Liked the colour and wanted a brown belt anyway so worth it just for that...
Top: $5.00 (Cotton On)
For some reason I'm really liking this crimson-y colour at the moment.... I also kept picking up lace items today...don't know what that's about...
Top: $5.00 (Factorie)
You can't really tell from the picture, but this is a long sleave, half lace (back) top. It's quite dramatic with bat wing type arms (as some of you would know I quite like this at the moment)
Top: $7.50 (Jay Jays)
Been wanting a simple collared top for a while, I could have done with a size smaller but it's ok...it's black, so I know I'll wear it (unlike some of my more adventurous choices that end up hanging in my closet untouched until I decide to donate them)
Another good day, but I'm all tuckered out now. I'm going to miss this so much.
And about to go watch The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1695989/) mainly because the main actor is Tobias from Arrested Development.
Looking through this book about Australian Architecture that I borrowed from the local library (my feeble attempt to begin preparation for this semester - we have an Australian Architectural History unit). Get a few houses in and I come across THE PIE HOUSE. By the architect Geoffrey Pie. If only I had a cool surname like Pie....then I could design 'COOKIE HOUSE' or 'CAKE HOUSE' or 'TOFU HOUSE' and people would be like 'WHOA, A HOUSE MADE OF COOKIES???' / 'A HOUSE INSPIRED BY CAKE???'...'I CAN'T BELIEVE TOFU IS STRUCTURALLY SOUND!'...'THIS IS AWESOME'... then I would be like 'NO, IT'S JUST BY THE ARCHITECT, LITTLEMISHELLE *INSERT FOOD* - YOU TOTES GOT PLAYED!!'.
Sadly The Pie House did not look like this:
Though if it did I'm sure it wouldn't be featured in this book (if I learnt anything from 1st year it's that you should NOT be too literal with your inspiration) and instead I would be viewing it in a tv program about a pie-baking detective who can awake the dead...
There are a lot of nice examples out there, that I can't think of at the moment... I'm sure the one or two people reading this probably won't find this post very interesting anyway....and I doubt the concrete aesthetic would be to their liking (I'm referring to Stan here, who's more of a farmhouse/Irish countryside kinda gal).
m
P.S. this is cool. I felt like a boss when I saw it because I could identify 5/6 of them.
Today Stan invited herself over (that said she's welcome any time). She was a horrible house guest (I was terribly offended when she wouldn't accept any of my food offerings - especially considering that when I go to her house I eat like a mad dawg). She cut my hair (nothing too dramatic, just a nice trim)...Zooey Deschanel bangs were considered but the internet informed us it might not be appropriate for my face shape. (maybe something I would try out at the beginning of a uni break so, if disastrous it could grow out before human interaction was necessary) If I ever get Z-Deschanel bangs, I will pose like bottom left. To be honest, I probably couldn't pull it off. I love Zooey though (Stan secretly always has too) ...500 days of Summer, She&Him, New Girl, etc rank among my favourites... Watched re-runs of New Girl after dinner tonight... at my wedding I would like to do the modified chicken dance, with pecking included.
Whilst she cut my hair, I wore a makeshift hair-dresser's cape/robe (?) i.e. a garbage bag with a head hole. It was attractive. Afterwards we had microwave-steamed red bean buns for lunch and watched 'Let me in'.
'I'M SORY ABBY'
I actually enjoyed it. As the DVD cover said, Stephen King called it the best horror film in 20 yrs (or something to that effect)...I don't necessarily agree with this, however I found it to be an enjoyable/interesting film to watch. The friendship between the boy and girl was sweet, and there was plenty of suspenseful music, etc typical of this genre. As someone who rarely watches scary movies/horror, I would say it was suitable... hasn't left me scared to venture to the hallway alone in the dark or anything, it was more interesting in a dark sort of way, than terrifying...kind of like Stephen King's novels, in that sense. I liked it. (especially the leading kid's sense of rhythm...tappin to the beat yo, gotta get that ambience right)... Afterwards we got our UNO on, went through old photos, and played some pool. Stan was surprisingly good for someone who never plays...that said hitting the right ball was considered an accomplishment. Naturally I won. (chyeah) Had a nice day. Highlights: when Stan bumped her head on one of my bed poles while trying to acquire chewing gum from her bag, her 'spear-fishing-type' grasp of the pool stick and one of the times when she totally missed the white ball. Anyway, was more enjoyable than how I otherwise would have spent my day... for future reference though, if I offer you my food, I LEGIT want you to eat it. (otherwise I wouldn't offer it and would eat it all by myself)
Today Stan, Big Michelle, Kid Kavi and I went for a walk (albeit a walk to browse stationery and acquire food, but a walk nonetheless) After much deliberation in the chair section of our local office supplies store we decided to lunch at the local Vietnamese restaurant. Initially I was unsure if I'd be able to get anything decent there (the reason why I suggest we dine at the Indian restaurant instead, as I only recalled there being one or two vegetarian options at the Viet one) but I ended up finding something and enjoyed it.
Big Michelle's (a pork chop or something of that nature)
Stan and Kid Kavi opted for the traditional phở (though I don't think they enjoyed the fattiness of the beef very much) It looked pretty legit though (like how my family would make it, except it had more chives and less coriander, and lacked suspicious animal parts).
I had Vegetable Phad Thai. Was nice.
I appreciated the two pieces of broccoli on the plate. (broccoli being the unanimous favourite vegetable of our group)
My only regret was being too full for fried ice cream afterwards (if only a vegetarian companion had been there/someone willing to split my meat free dish - in which case I could have had room for this dessert). That said, I respect that the portions were quite generous for the price, and from a health perspective it's better that I didn't indulge. On that note, Kid Kavi and Big Michelle went for soft serves immediately after lunch (I LOVE dessert, but I've never been able to understand how people can have it immediately after the main meal...I need at least 30-60 minutes to clense my palette and let my food settle, alternatively, I prefer to go for dessert first - prioritise, yo) So we sat and chilled under a tree, was nice. (despite a moderate fear of the cars driving by)
High point of the day was when Big Michelle looked away and Kid Kavi literally ate half of her soft serve in one mouthful. (knew there was a reason I approved of this kid)
...However when Big M was taking a photo of us, he did note the 'littlemishelle face', which apparently is an angry smile, thus confirming my theory that, like Tina Fey, I have 'shark eyes', whereby I look angry/stoned unless I open my eyes really wide (in which case I look spazzy/psychotic). Guess that's just my natural face, yo.
I appreciate how this program is addressing/exploring social and cultural issues within Australia that the majority of the population are apparently oblivious of, or choose to disregard. Racism towards Indians and Muslims, the persecution of refugees, crime, the conditions of Indigenous Australians, 'Bogan' culture and same-sex relationships are all topics of discussion, that should all be afforded more consideration by the average Australian. (well, the human rights related issues, at least) The issues are complex and generally lack a clear solution, however I can make no sense of racism, *commence rant* how we can stand by idly while innocent men, women and children are being locked in detention centres (without any of the legal rights afforded to criminals), how the government (still) is not adequately addressing problems of housing, education and health for indigenous australians (and NO the Northern Intervention policy does NOT qualify as a viable solution) ... and seriously. How, in the 21st century are we still not recognising same sex relationships as legitimate?
A while ago I casually mentioned to my two best friends that I wouldn't get married until marriage equality was achieved. They were actually shocked. (which I was REALLY surprised by... wouldn't this seem typical of littlemishelle the hippy?) Anyway, of all the injustices that this great nation boasts (and don't get me wrong, while I'm far from a Nationalist, I am grateful to live here and recognise that things could be a lot worse) the issue of marriage equality seems to be the easiest to address. (just legally permit it - duh?) While homophobia and discrimination against LGBTI individuals may not be eliminated by this, it would be a major stepping stone, and an action that would speak louder than empty words, that suggest Australia is the 'land of a fair go', where people of all descriptions are accepted and tolerance prevails.
I may not have the knowledge base that some of my friends possess on human rights issues, but I do feel that I have a fairly good grasp of 'right and wrong'. While I generally maintain the view that everyone has a reason for acting as they do, and holding certain beliefs and convictions (context/nurture and all that tabula rasa/social conditioning shiz that we studied in lit - Frankenstein anyone?) I find it so difficult to understand how some people feel that just because of the position that they (by chance) were born into; the race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc that they were dealt somehow puts them above another. It just doesn't make sense. There are so many things about the human race that I cannot understand.
*end rant* sorry about that...
Anyway, the initial intention of this post was to recommend this show to you. I think Little S and a few others (actually have no idea if anyone reads this) would appreciate it.
...don't be concerned...I'm sure my next post will be food photos/architecture/music related...
Here is a photo (for some comic relief) I took a while ago of some clothing tags I found amusing.
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