Andrea has finished Uni!

Well actually all the Asian Studies girls bar me finished this year and we all passed our subjects with flying colours, I got two credits and two distinctions πŸ™‚

So Andrea had a happening shin dig at her place on saturday night. Drinks, Pizza, old friends, new friends, Midori and Kiwi fruit, cameras and of course who could not forget Mr Berg πŸ™‚ Go check out the photos

The party was the best I think I have ever gone too, small space, lots of talk, lots of drink, lots of laughs πŸ™‚ Love ya Andie πŸ™‚

Helen in all her craftiness is slowly making gifts to be given out and Andrea’s was the first to be completed so she got hers last night. The bag is made from denim and Japanese cotton, the pattern is based on Amy Butler’s Nappy Bag but a whole lot smaller and less pockets.

andrea's baginside

I also learnt how to free motion machine quilt on this bag, I used something like 3 or 4 bobbins doing the quilting on both sides of the bag.

quilting close up

what if apples were called bapples?

ben leeLike most young Australians who listen or have listened to Triple J, I have always known who Ben Lee was but I didn’t really know him till last night. Before Awake is the New Sleep was released and he scooped the Arias, he was just the young Sydney guy, out in the background doing his own thing, who released his first solo album when he was what 16/17?, went out with Claire Danes for ages, got his start with the likes of Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys. Sure his 1999 album Breathing Tornados was a huge success and Cigarettes Will Kill You is one song we can all sing/hum, but Awake is the New Sleep changed all that, all of a sudden he was everywhere and on all the radio stations and even though I didn’t real know his songs, I was so proud of him and his band for surprising us all. So like any new discovery/re-discovery, I headed back to the beginnings and started listening to the early stuff and wondered why I had not started earlier, I have known who is was since what 1998 but it took me to 2005 to actually start getting into him. I don’t know. Perhaps it is the swing I am noticing in my tastes to music for which the focus is the vocals not how loud or fast the lead guitarist can play.

But back to the actual point of the story, so last night two of my bestest buds (Andrea and Same) who previously didn’t know each other but are chumming it up now and I met at The Arena to see Ben Lee, Sparkadia and a solo artist who I can’t recall the name of. Both the support acts were fantastic and then came Ben and the band :), for what was to be one night of a big sing-a-long, Patience from The Grates popping in for a song, lots of happiness and pure fun, chatting about songs, playing songs from all the records and lots of flowers πŸ™‚ ( I thought they were fake but when I got one at the end I noticed how real my daisy is, which is currently in a flower press πŸ™‚ because that my friend will be one hell of a scrapbook page).

As a final little act, I can solemnly say that I have never acted like a boy crazy adolescent girl in my life before but it is safe to say last night that changed, I swear he is getting cuter and cuter as he gets older and it has to be noted, we do share the same birthday albeit seven years apart πŸ™‚

15 hours later, I can assure you that we still have big grins plastered on our faces πŸ™‚

Photos are Here

the quilt is posted

Christmas is coming and that means full steam ahead on all creations, the bummer is that most/all of the people I am making gifts for read this thing, so I can’t exactly post photos of them till they get them which isn’t for ages yet πŸ™

However I can say that my back is sore from the amount of free motion machine quilting I have done in the last day or so, the person who gets this present is very lucky because if it wasnÒ€ℒt Christmas I would be keeping it myself! Full of blood, sweat and tears I tell you well actually full of 3 bobbins of thread! Thanks for Mum for showing me how to do free motion quilting.

Yesterday I also posted Jâkull’s quilt so as long as the ship sails smoothly, he should see it in three to four months. I even wrote Jâkull the Glacier Boy on the shipping label πŸ™‚

Quilt 1 backing fabric

Exams finished 1 week ago and I am already going stir crazy! Only 3 and a bit months left of summer holidays. ugg. I am already lined up to make Matthew three new pairs of pyjamas and to clean the kitchen and living room (paid work) so maybe it won’t be too bad. On Sunday I am going to see Ben Lee at the Zoo with Sam and Andrea πŸ™‚ so that will be good, happy days. πŸ™‚

my friends are very fruity indeed

Yes, they are such fun to have around πŸ™‚ A quick catch up of the last couple of days. Last Thursday night, Ali (and Liam) and I went to see The Whitlams at The Zoo, Ali has a very good write up of the concert – go here.Helen and The Whitlams, they roll off the tongue like yogo and bread, cherries and milk, Summer and Seth, etc all such perfect matches. I was first introduced to The Whitlams in late 1998 and well since then, they have always been there for me and I am proud to say they are the only band for which I actually own each CD (Timmie, I could never steal your music!). However I have only seen them as a band twice, Tim and Jack as a duo once and an amazing concert with Tim and The Australian Chamber Orchestra at the Concert Hall. This concert is going to always stand out in my Whitlam memory as one of the greatest, just such pure energy all round, from the band, from the crowd, from Tim saying thank you after each song (at least 23 times, since that is how many songs they played :))Happy Times, nothing beats the Whitlams, they are one of those bands where every single song just rocks πŸ™‚
two red lightscrazyall very strangechunkyfreegoughworld safe
Friday evening was Rachel’s 21st so Andrea and I hammed it up at the
Toowong Bowl’s Club for a sausage sizzle, rounds of barefoot bowls, lots of talk and enjoying Rach’s day. Laughs all round as we tried our dandiest to get the bowl near the jack. Rachel scored a bunch of totally awesome presents as well πŸ™‚ From me, she received 18×12 print of Fern Awakening, which is the very first time I have given someone a print of my work πŸ™‚
bowls2bowls1
Saturday – Exam = > Boring!
Then on Sunday night, Mum, Granddad, Sam and I joined NPAQ for a Batty Bat Cruise, lots of fun, enjoying a cruise up the river to Indro Island, checking out all the water front houses, chilling, talking and enjoying a sausage sizzle.
story bridgeSamGrandadthe river

shared music

The second installment of my music related posts.

Music is something that we share with those around us, we tell people of new music we have discovered, they share with us some of their favourites and if all goes well we find new music we like. Today I am sharing a tiny slice of the music that people have shared with me through my life. I don’t think I have a friend who has not introduced me to at least one new artist. Music makes the world go round πŸ™‚

Karl

My older brother has probably shared the most music with me, growing up we listened to what he listened to, we looked up to him. I could be here all day sharing music that Karl has shared. A couple that stand out are.

The Velvet Underground – In particular Sweet Jane, just a few months ago when we were in Iceland, Matthew and I stayed with Karl and Anika (one of our sister’s), we spent a fair bit of time rocking out in the kitchen/dining/living area to the strains of Velvet Underground.

The BreedersSafari was the first song we saw from the Breeders on a tape of Rage, that Karl had recorded one night, I remember sitting there enthralled with the video clip, seeing Josephine Wiggs with her bass and pink hair rocking out. We didn’t have the internet back in those days like we do now, I remember standing in Rocking Horse Records with Karl looking at the Breeders albums, and he walked out with Last Splash. The Breeders are a band that I have always fallen back on, fantastic lyrics, enchanting vocals, all just perfect listening.

World Music and Electronica/dance etc, I know two very different genres but Karl introduced me to the Gypsy Kings, Buena Vista Social Club, B(i)ftek, Hamsa Lila and heaps of other stuff, nothing like chilling to some laid back beats/tunes. Relax.

Pabbi
My dad has influenced my music tastes in so many ways; I mean he is the Papa! Growing up in our household you were assured of listening to some sort of music every night when the washing up was happening. I remember dancing round the living room with Pabbi to Hava Nagila, the days of innocence! There was of course all the standards; ABBA, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, The Seekers, The Drifters, Johnny Cash, Peter Paul and Mary, James Last etc etc as well as some others

Harry Belafonte – Again more memories of belting out songs like Kingston Town in the living room.

Mahalia Jackson – Every Christmas Eve, Pabbi puts one of her records and that is the only household music we get, nothing wrong with as she does have an amazing voice. Have you heard her singing Silent Night? Mahalia had the voice.

Ladi Geisler’s album Guitar ala Carte is without a doubt the most played record in our house, almost impossible to find a copy of and we haven’t yet found a copy of volume II of Guitar ala Carte. If you ever hear some of his recordings you will not be disappointed, this man creates magic with his guitar.

Mum
Anyone who knows her will know that she refers to music as noise, however she does have a few musical interests, namely the soundtrack from Paint Your Wagon. Probably one of my early introductions into soundtracks, have you heard Clint Eastwood sing? The Gospel Of No Name City, I Talk To The Trees etc etc

Matthew
My little brother who lives in mainly black shirts with some punk band on the front, without him I would not know of many of his bands

Marilyn Healy
A very sweet pea and incredible artist, her signature line used be a couple of lines of a Howard Jone‘s song called Life In One Day, total 80’s central with Howard, ever since that moment when I looked those lyrics up, well I have been bopping along with HJ

Kathryn Nichols
One of the girls I went to primary school with, we caught the same bus home, I gave her a tape with a Toni Braxton song on, she gave me a tape of Alanis Morissette‘s Jagged Little Pill and well the rest is history, I don’t think I need to explain the Alanis factor, the voice, the lyrics, everything

Wübke Peters
Wübke, is the girl I stayed with in Germany and is actually at our house at the moment, her Christmas present to me, was a ticket to a Die Happy concert, have not met anyone since Germany who has ever heard of Die Happy but they are a band that gets high rotation on my play lists. Song of note is Cry For More

Sean
He showed me a lot of new music and opened my eyes to bands that I had ignored. Two more obscure bands that I found through Sean are Mest and Taking Back Sunday, two bands that I whole heartedly recommend that you go listen to.

Year 12 Tech Tute Teacher
Tech Tute, was essentially a free class which often resulted in class discussions with our teacher, one day some of the boys asked the teacher what music she liked and she answered Elliott Smith, I of course went home and found what music I could of his and have been hooked ever since, just love the music, the melodies and of course his voice.

This is only the smallest sampling of music that people have shared with me and only a sample of what I listen to, from folk songs to punk to 80Ò€ℒs pop, I like my music all over the place.

Be Safe, Play Hard

We had a blast last night if you disregard the masses of middle-aged teens who insist on wearing thongs and handbags in a mosh pit or thinking it is a really good idea to surge the pit. Although in the end we were laughing about it because they were just a sight to see.

, well every song sounded like the previous one, I had really expected more after listening to stuff on their website.

were pretty cool, loved rocking out to My Paper Heart, One More Sad Song etc. Though the lead singer was a bit weird he kept on going on about how hot all the chicks were in the audience. And in the words of Sam, “Most of them are under 16 and in Australia that is called paedophilia”. Yep I am telling you, we saw kids who couldn’t have been more than nine there.

And well what could we expect from ? After a great show in March? Well they only got better, since this was their first tour with them as headliners it was much better, they had control, they did what they liked, they rocked:) A couple of things really stood out, when Chuck the drummer was let to run wild in the crowd and then had the stage to himself for a while. The two songs they covered – Happy Together by The Turtles and I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness – rocked the house, have to say the Darkness cover was really good. Now I am sure that all bands say how much they love a particular city each time they do a show there, well this time they took it one step further and did a freestyle rap ode to Brisbane, taking off H to the IZZO by Jay-Z but it was B to the the Brissay. Sam and I stood there cracking our sides in laughter.

Mobile phones are *so* the lighter of the 21st century πŸ™‚ Ok, so I stole the idea from The OC, kudos to anyone who can tell me which episode but it was so fun seeing the sea of mobile phone lights for the slow songs.

I took some videos of the concert as well as the photos that are here but need to figure out how to edit and compress the files down.