Blog challenge - My Box of hotties

Alright, this week's blog challenge derives from Vanillabear/Lucyfer who made a list of the hotties she's appreciates and found that there was enough to field a first team and a Castilla :P. It was also inspired by Gina's and Sarah's immortal posts.

So here is a 10 man list of the guys in my Hottie Box. In no particular order, they are:

San Iker Casillas. Those cheekbones. That shootout. I may be a Barca girl but I'm not blind. I've already said a lot about him and what I haven't said, that pic should tell you. By the way, The God of Spanish Football is 2 days older than me. That's fate, I tell you ;).


I've also previously mentioned Yoann Gourcuff, aka The New Zidane, aka Lashes. This pic is from the 2008 D&G AC Milan calendar. Now that I've found out D&G are using rugby players for the 2009 edition, I'm not so upset that Milan have loaned him to Bordeaux. Shirtless model vs. playing time, I'm glad that choice has been taken from me.


Xabi Alonso. Possibly the best dressed member of the SNT, the word that comes to mind is *suave*. Plus that video of him flirting with an interviewer that makes me think life with him would never be dull.


I couldn't choose between these two members of the Croatian NT. The older man and intellectual-looking Hrvoje Vejic or the sweet and angelic Niko Kranjcar? Vejic looks like he could give good conversation, but Niko is nice enough to take photos with random women in the frozen shellfish aisle.


Here's an injection of actual rather than perceived intelligence into the Box. Louis Theroux, is an Oxford grad with a first in modern history, broadcaster of highly amusing documentaries, and owner of nerdy glasses. Just in case you weren't convinced the man has brains, Mischka assures me he also has a PhD (tbc). That's okay, it's like a bonus.


Back to the bimbos, Henry Cavill makes puffy shirts look hot. He's the reason to watch The Tudors. I said I was going to post a video from one of his many naked scenes here but I decided instead to post the link instead because it is VERY NSFW.


Pierre Boulanger is a new addition. Watching Monsieur Ibrahim, I thought *gee, he'll be beautiful when he grows up* and then vomited when I realised he brought out the pedobear in me. Caramelbear then found pics of him as an adult (he's now 21) and the world righted itself again.


Dean Winchester is way hotter than Sam. Jensen Ackles is way hotter than Jared Padalecki. And this video proves he has a sense of humour. Can you see Sam miming to Eye of the Tiger? No, you can't.

Christian Bale needs no explanation...

...And of course neither does my husband, Marat.

One thing I've noticed by compiling this list, it's pretty apparent I have a type which should be obvious to all. Tall, dark, athletic, glasses, cheekbones and European...that appears to be the requirements to entering my Box.

Honourable mentions:
Andy Lau but he was better 10 years ago. And he has to be wearing his suit from Infernal Affairs. Throw Takeshi Kaneshiro in there too.
Adam Levine - sexy yes, but maybe a bit too slutty for me.
Adrien Brody and Gaspard Ulliel appear to have dropped off the radar in the last few years. If they'd just release a kickass movie, I'm sure they will be back in there.
Numerous other soccer hotties e.g. Canna, Del Piero, Nando, etc.

Weekend round up

Not much seems to have happened this weekend. I took Friday off work and yet I still somehow ended up there. Admittedly it was only for about an hour but...still. I've also started knitting myself a scarf. While randomly wandering through a shopping centre, I found some wool that had been dyed a nice fuschia colour and thought *oh, that'd look good with my big black.* Lets hope I get it done in time for next winter. Because you know, it gets so cold here and all. *cough*

Saturday was another question altogether. After a date in the afternoon with Pascal, Mischka picked me up and we went to Chaddy for Dr. K's Hens. It was a lot of fun - watching the crowd was highly amusing and there were criminals everywhere! I only wish that I managed to get a picture of the girl who seriously added about 10cm of height to herself by bleaching and teasing her hair into a bouffant. This was in addition to the bubblegum pink dress she was wearing. Yes, it was entertaining. And I must say, even though the DJ as a super criminal with his swirly-patterend satin shirt, he spun some good tunes! Classic 80s :D

We left the bride-to-be happily bopping away and ventured to the burbs for some Singstar action. I was pleased that my karaoke experiences and intense knowledge of the 80s and 90s boy/girlbands meant that I acquitted myself well. Mischka may have her own words to say about that.

Unfortunately, I am back on Pascal today. Yes, life is all excitement.

Painting of the week - Daughter of Art History by Yasumasa Morimura

Yasumasa Morimura, Daughter of Art History (Theatre A), 1990 and Daughter of Art History (Theatre B), 1990

Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York City (Image source)

This is for my fellow Art History grad (and post-grad!) Flaneur who pointed out that I only seemed to cover artists from The Canon in my Piece of the Week topic. When I said I detest Contemporary Art, and she suggested someone I did find interesting: Morimura. The first time I heard of Morimura was in my very first AH lecture at uni - Art History B in 2001 (wow! that was so long ago!). A japanese artist, Morimura replicates scenes from art history (such as the one above) or popular culture images using a combination of techniques, and then inserts his own face into them and changes our reading of it.

Daughter of Art History (Theatre A & B) inserts Morimura as the role of the barmaid in Manet's Le Bar aux Folies-Bergere. I won't go into the how or why, but the general art historical reading of the original is that we are an upper-middle class male patron of the bar looking at things for sale - including the bar maid. By casting himself in the role of the barmaid, once the visual joke has worn off, one realises Morimura adds the question of race into the mix of gender and class.

If AH is to be believed, we are drawn into Manet's paintings by our gaze interacting with the characters who gaze back at us. But AH also analyses these works from a predominantly Western Male view. While the feminine/feminist view of art has become vocal, not much was put into the Asian view of AH (although Flaneur is trying to change that!), nor into how the West looks at Asia. Particularly in Theatre B, by getting his male body to mimic that of the weakened barmaid under our gaze, Morimura raises questions about how the West's view of Asia as *feminine*, the femininisation of the Asian male, and also why I refuse to date anyone with Yellow Fever.

Blog Challenge - Favourite words

At least, I think this is the blog challenge of the week.

Swoosh
Bubble
Tush/Tummy
Hinterland
Speckle
Nums
Onomatopoeia

This is all I can think of at the moment and I wanted to get the blog challenge over and done with.
(Sorry gals)

One fine day....

Many, many years ago, I watched a loooong show on tv and to my absolute disgust, it brought me to tears. A few years later, I watched another version of the same story and it again brought me to tears. And then I watched it live and, surprise surprise, I cried yet again. What is this cry-worthy story? It's Madama Butterfly by Puccini!

While I know the story very well and obviously loved it, I know it was mightily disliked by the rest of the people who watched it. I mean, we're seeing a story of an American sailor (B.F. Pinkerton), who goes around the world picking up and abandoning chicks, then goes and marries a 15yo girl in Japan (Butterfly). I know that in real life I'd smack any girl who waited for three years for a worthless bastard who's obviously abandoned her, I can't help crying when we see Butterfly stay up all night night waiting for Pinkerton to come and realising once and for all that he isn't coming back, and again when they *offer* to take her son off her. That's just horrible!!! The girl has lived most of her life in shame - we're never told why her Father was 'invited' to commit hari-kari, just that he did. Two more shames, it's just too much!!!

The production was of the 1997 Moffatt Oxenbould version, very lovely sets and interesting choreography. Dimply Nicole Youl was a young-looking and cute Butterfly, I was really impressed with her Un Bel Di! Shivers, I tell you! Rosario La Spina...nice voice but there were times when he was being drowned out by the orchestra. I noticed his repertoire is mostly the heroic type. Ummm...he doesn't look the heroic type. He's more like Pavarotti without the voice to blow you away and distract from the looks. I don't want to be (more) mean but is it possible to do something about this?

Something else that annoyed me was the way the way the various people dressed in white who acted as pieces of furniture/servants/whatever (they were wrapped in white, kinda like mummies. I'm tempted to call them Mummies) dragged their feet when they walked. I know it must have been a stage direction because they all did it. But the sound was very grating and distracting!

Regardless, I liked it verra verra much and care not that some people (mostly the guys) were glad that it was over. And so now I present Kiri Te Kanawa singing the main aria, Un Bel Di.
Toodles! (picture source)

People who know me should not be surprised

What Shoe Are You?

You are a Stiletto. The world is yours for the taking; you may look enticing upon first glance, but those who cross you will get a 5-inch hole through their hearts.

Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

What one word embodies you?

I am the embodiment of Truth. Your curiosity has an insatiable appetite, and is the most essential thing that drives you. You question everything and constantly strive to uncover universal truths. You are a person enchanted by history, and you study it religiously in hopes of being the one to discover The Truth. You take nothing at face value, and know that if you want the truth you'll have to dig for it. However, this is a double-edged sword for sometimes the truth is staring you right in the face and you can't even see it.

Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Painting of the Week - The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio

Caravaggio, The Calling of St. Matthew, 1599-1600

Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.
(Source)

My friends often cite Michelangelo Merisi aka Caravaggio as their favourite artist (Hi Pooky! Hi 'elle Mischka!). Born in the north of Italy c. 1573, Caravaggio is one of those artists whom people love to read biographically through his works due to this somewhat 'interesting' life. Known for hanging out with prostitues, brawling, and being arrested and imprisoned a number of times, he fled Rome in 1606 after accusations of murder and died in 1610 after contracting a fever after being imprisoned again in Tuscany. His main patron in Rome, Cardinal del Monte, was also probably gay so Caravaggio's early work is often interpreted as homoerotic.

A Baroque artist, his work is pictorially characterised by naturalism and heightened chiaroscuro (light and dark effects), as seen in The Calling of St. Matthew. The painting shows Jesus pointing to Matthew, who is hunched at the table with the bowed head counting money. Notable things in this painting are that the figures at the table are dressed in contemporary 16th century dress whereas Jesus and co. are in robes, and Jesus' hand being a reference to Michelangelo's Creation of Adam. It is also alleged that Caravaggio used himself as a model for Matthew.

The light in this painting performs two functions. Firstly, it's a narrative tool. The light is strongest over Jesus, spreading over the characters at the table. The light hasn't quite hit Matthew yet but you get the feeling that when it does, he'll look up. Secondly when you view the painting in its setting along with its counterparts (below), you can see that Caravaggio has made the direction of light in his paintings come from the same direction as the window in the chapel.

L-R, Calling of St. Matthew, Inspiration of St. Matthew, Matyrdom of St. Matthew.
(I tried to merge these into a montage and failed epically.)

Clever.

Totally Looks Like

This pic was thrown into the ring and well....it seems obvious, n'est-ce pas?

Sex Fibreglass
(Okay, his real name is Cesc Fabregas for those who don't know. Source)


The *Cute* Beatle in 1964
(That was what he was known back in the day before one-legged gold-diggers. Source)

Crimes against fashion - Oaks Day special!!!

Spring Carnival. It's like a giant party in the city and everyone's invited! But like Halloween, a lot of girls think that Race Days is a reason to throw out the rules of fashion and (usually) dress like skanks. Here's a review of the biggest criminals in my line of sight, which as you can see in that pic below, was not insignificant.

The bra top that barely contains her modesty, the ultra-short skirt made out of transparent dress...It says something when some of the male friends I was with even said this outfit was too skanky for their liking. But the true horror which I couldn't capture in this pic were her snakeskin shoes.

I didn't want to pick on woman of a larger size or mutton dressed as lamb but I couldn't let these pass. *sigh*
Please pick a dress which supports you well. This woman was clearly too mature for this kind of dress and it did nothing to support her.

At the same time, while this woman is more covered up....she kinda looks like a caterpillar.

The true horror in this dress is when that girl bent over.Think about it. But not too hard.

I am highly amused that this girl wore a strapless bra...which is still visible.

On the topic of underwear, I would like to make a comment about how important it is to wear appropriate underwear for your dress. Not just to avoid VPL...
but to also make sure that people can't tell your underwear is lace-edged.

Ahh...I could have written an entire entry about this girl. Where do I start? The fake tan? The trashy glasses? The dress that's too tight and too short (I don't think I saw her sit down all day and I can't blame her)? The fact that she's wearing control top undies which making her bulge up and over and the fact the too-tight dress shows that?

Yes, criminals, criminals everywhere yesterday! And to close out this entry, here's a pic of some male crims. I'm out!

Huzzah!

(Source)

I'd just like to take the time to say that I'm pleased that my faith in the human race has been re-affirmed. While this by no means erases the mistakes of the past, it's a step forward.

Also, extra kudos to Caramelbear and Sarebear who helped swing their states towards the blue.

My baking is going to taste extra nice tomorrow as it will be filled with all my current goodwill. Yums.

US elections 2008

Well I'm about to pop off to bed and by the time I wake up in around 8-9 hours, the USA will have a new president. As much as I want to believe the opinion polls that say Obama will win in a landslide, I really do fear that the most powerful man in the world will be Old Man McCain (although he's okay as far as Republicans go). But that's not my real worry.

My real worry is that if Old Man McCain does win, he'll die in office and we'll end up with Sarah Palin as The Most Powerful Woman in The World. Seriously, if everyone's foreign policy was based on which countries we could see from our windows, I guess Australia wouldn't have one. *eye roll*

Incidentally, I was mighty amused by this quiz result. I need to get out of medical research and into politics!

Are You More Qualified than Sarah Palin?
	You are 100% more qualified than Sarah Palin. You're no short-term political stunt, you're the real deal, the VP the American people deserve. I guess your phone was off the hook when John McCain was calling around looking for a running mate... must've been one of those pesky robo-calls.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Blog Challenge - How we picked our teams

Much to the disgust of the other SBAers, I am a fan of ManUtd (or ManUre), Barca (or Barcugh), and AC Milan (or the better Milan). This week's blog challenge is to explain how or why we ended up supporting the teams that we did, so here is mine.

Basically, I ended up following these teams because of my younger brother, Spuey. The time was the 1990s. The time was the early-mid 90s, prior to the existence of the internet (yes, such a time existed in my memory!) and pretty much the only teams from Europe that made the news in our antipodean home were articles about the winners of the era.

Given that ManUtd won the EPL from 1992-94, it seems obvious. My brother came home from primary school one day with a bear he'd made in Art class. It was wearing black shorts and a red t-shirt emblazoned with the word *SHARP*. Sister Pooey and I were like, "Why does your bear say *SHARP*?" and he explained that it was meant to be a Man Utd uniform.

Likewise, over this same period of time, both Barca and Milan were having golden periods, winner numerous domestic trophies in Spain and Italy, respectively, culminating in their meeting the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final. Sure, Milan spanked Barca 4-0 in the match but it was win-win for us!

Sure, it hasn't been easy supporting these teams - jibes about being bandwagon jumpers, that my team has the worst hair in La Liga, that Milan are the oldest team in the world (mean age 28.85 years, st. dev. 5.58, median age 30 years), that ManUtd are a team of fugs etc. But you know, variety is the spice of life. So to my 'Pool, Arsenal and RM friends, vive la difference!

Oh, how embarrassment

I forgot to mention this when I was writing my pity post from yesterday. (Incidentally, please refer to me as Mallymoodle or various other derivatives in comments. Use of my real name will result in me deleting your post. Go the blog nazi!)

Yesterday I had a meeting with my boss about progress. It went well - yay! It went so well, she wanted to look at some of the data we'd already collected so we could squeeze even more goodness out of it.

Unfortunately, the quickest way to get to the data folder is on my desktop. Unfortunately, I changed my desktop wallpaper on Thursday.

And unfortunately, I had changed it to this:

And she saw it.
And she said "oh my god" in a kind of pitying way.

But on the other hand, isn't it a great wallpaper?!

Painting of the Week - La Velata by Raphael

Raphael, La Velata, 1514-1515, Palazzo Pitti, Florence
(Image Source)

I can't remember if I've posted on this painting before, I feel as though I have but I'll do this pic anyway since I had it on file. If Botticelli is an artist I came to dislike as I got older, Raphael is the opposite. Born in Urbino Italy, Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), is one person who defines *High Renaissance* art. A painter and architect, he is right up there alongside the other great masters and his contemporaries, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

La Velata depicts an unknown woman and I can tell you that pic up there doesn't do it justice. I didn't think it was that great but my mind was changed when I saw it in person and realised how beautiful it was. Maybe it was the mild Florentine sun, but the painting has a wonderful golden quality that makes her look soft and serene and loved. The sfumato (smokey blending) around her face is particularly lovely. Having seen it in person, I can understand the apocryphal story surrounding this work. Legend is that Raphael fell in love with the daughter of a baker and he started pining away until she agreed to become his mistress (or he was allowed to make her his mistress). Either way, La Velata is supposedly a depiction of her. It is also believed to be the counterpart to his other painting, La Fornarina.

Incidentally, I have seen La Fornarina in person, and I hate it. If I didn't know the provenance can trace it back to Raphael, I would have called it a fake.

Oh, the disappointment

There's a new waffle (gaufres heh) and crepe place in the city that we were going to try out tonight.

But we decided to try and get some *real* food before eating dessert.

Wrong choice.

When we finished eating our mediocre dinner, the shop was closed *sniff*.

But when I do eat there, I hope it's good! Because if there's one thing this city needs, its more dessert places!!! YAY!!!!


P.S. I edited the Lemon Cake recipe to include poppyseeds. It makes the cake more textural and opiate-full. What's not to love about that? ;)

Lemon Cake with Crunchy Topping

Well here's the recipe for the weekend's cake! Except that I decided to make the sole cake into muffin/cupcakes for easier transportation and eatability.

Ingredients:

• 250 g unsalted softened butter
• 200 g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon rind
• 4 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups SR flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• EDIT (31/10) - I also put in some poppyseeds. I think 1.5-2tbs work best for textural and opiate content!
  

Topping:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven 170 deg. Grease baking tray or line cupcake tin
Cream butter & sugar with electric beaters until fluffy (I did the initial creaming by hand to make sure it was well mixed, then moved onto the beaters).
Add lemon rind, then egg gradually. Beating thoroughly after each addition.
Fold in sifted flour/baking powder/lemon juice. Combine until mixture is smooth.
Spoon mixture into tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for 45 min if making a cake, 25 minutes for cupcakes

For topping, mix together sugar and lemon but don't dissolve sugar and quickly brush over the warm cake. Sugar will form a crunchy topping.
Leave to cool if you are patient or just dig in and eat!!

This recipe makes either 1 cake (20cm springform is my usual type) or 12 cupcakes.

How could I let this pass?

About a two months or so ago, dancinghula and I were walking around the city when we came across this.

BURGER PERSON!!!

Naturally, I had to take this photo.

NOM NOM NOM!!!

Yes, that was fun

Blog Challenge #2 (Halloween Special) - Skeletons

Here are some random facts about skeletons

• A human skeleton at birth has approximately 270 bones. An adult human has approximately 206.
• The human skeleton has several functions. Some of these include:
  
• To give the body it's shape - male/female shape differences can be seen in skeletons!
  
• Protecting vital organs, for example the skull to the brain, ribcage to protect lungs and heart
• Movement. Although the skeleton (bones) themselves does not enable movement, the skeletal muscles are attached via tendons to bones give leverage. (In theory, without bones we'd still be able to move, albeit in a restricted way.)
  
• Blood cells are produced in the large bones of the skeleton.
  
• Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a genetic condition whereby soft tissue is ossified - turned into bone - after an injury. The Pathology Museum at my work has two skeletons with this condition in a glass cabinet.
  

This is not it - no photos are allowed at my work museum. (Source)

• The use of skeletons in Western Art is iconographically linked to death (the occurrence) or Death (the entity). Death the entity (a.k.a. The Grim Reaper) is often shown with an hourglass or scythe.
  

An example is the tomb of Pope Alexander VII by Bernini in the St. Peters (Vatican City).

• The philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham's skeleton was preserved and put in a glass case as per his wishes. He was acquired by University College London and you can still see him in his glass case today. However, you can't see his skeleton because it is dressed in period clothing.
• Skeletor was a He-Man character who despite having only a skull for a head, had massive guns and a six-pack. How that worked, I don't understand.
• As far as I can tell, there is no sex fetish involving skeletons. Admittedly I have not done much research on this because I'm too scared at what google might throw up at me.
  

Weekend roundup!

After the exhaustion of the past week, I am happy to say that I did no work at all during this weekend. Yes, I got to sleep in (yay), lounge around the house (double yay), and then meet up with Rachie Poo for lunch, shopping, and cake (triple YAY!!!). Given that I'm guessing you don't want to read about my sleeping in (although it was pretty damn fantastic), I will talk about the cake.

First off, Rachie started off the day by telling me I'd lost weight. Later, after a hard day's shopping, we decided to get cake to make up for the precious calories that I'd burnt off. We went to Little Cupcakes (#7, 250 Flinders Street, down from Degraves St, next to Smitten Kitten). Their washing machine was broken so they could only serve us on serviettes, but that's okay because I forgot to bring my camera so you can't see the presentation anyway.

(Source)

Rachie had the coffee flavoured normal-sized, while I had red velvet normal plus the strawberry mini-sized. I've heard of red velvet but never had one before (I think it's an American thing?). The waiter told me it was 70% vanilla/30% cocoa - the decreased cocoa part give the cake it's reddish rather than brown colouring. The cake was crumbly, perhaps slightly on the dry side but this was compensated by the rich cream cheese frosting. When my bites encompassed both elements of the cupcake it was extremely pleasing. The mini cupcakes really are one bite sized.

Anyway, while we were eating our cakes, Rachie and I started discussing the art of baking. Rachie had always believed herself a poor baker - turns out her cakes never worked because she was trying to cut out things like sugar and butter, much to my amazement. After I explained the fat/sugar/creaming thing, we decided to go back to her place and BAKE another cake :D.

We made an eggy lemon cake with sugar crust top. It was delish but again, we forgot to take a photo. Actually, that was probably for the best because it sank a little bit in the middle. There was plenty leftover so I took it in for this morning tea where it went down a right treat. The recipe was actually incredibly easy and when Rachie emails me the recipe, I will post it here so that you may all make it and try it out!

Painting of the Week - The Bridge of Sighs by John Singer Sargent

JS Sargent, The Bridge of Sighs, 1904, Brooklyn Museum, NYC
(Image source)

A friend once asked me who was my favourite artist. After a lot of thought and much to both of our surprise, I said John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1923). Why? Put simply, I've never seen a Sargent I didn't like despite his wide-ranging oeuvre. On a more complex level, I am fascinated by his flawless draughtsmanship, his deceptively difficult technique, the way his portraits reflect the sitters' personalities, and the way his paintings never fail to elicit some kind of response from me.

Born in Florence to American parents, Sargent was trained in Paris and spent the bulk of his career travelling the world. Primarily known for his 'society' portraits of women, Sargent also produced thousands of watercolours and sketches. Considering that his career covered the late 19th-early 20th century, his work has been criticised for not reflecting the contemporary Modern movements such as Fauvism and Cubism, although he did paint en plein air.

I was lucky enough to see The Bridge of Sighs in Venice at the Sargent and Venice exhibition in Sept 2007. I remember standing in the dark room staring at the watercolours, utterly amazed that with a few scribbles Sargent had managed to (very) accurately recreate the Venetian light and shadows. They made me want to go outside and buy some of the kitschy watercolours for sale from the many vendors looking to prey on gullible tourists. Or worse, it made me want to pick up my own paints again and get cracking!

When I first went to Venice, a lecturer told me I would love it and that Venice would look like every picture I had ever seen of it. She was right. Although this photo was taken in winter 2004, you can tell everything is pretty much the same - from the dark shadows in the narrow canal to the way light reflects off the greenish tint of the water. I never managed to get a photo of this view in Summer/Autumn light - the crush of tourists on the San Zaccaria bridge was something I didn't want to battle.

Happy Birthday, Grand Empress!

There was much merry-making as we celebrated not only the Grand Empress' passing of another year but also the reception of her visa so that she may now return to Old Blighty.

The night kicked off with drinks at Martini Bar. I myself did not have a martini - I had something called Glinda the Good Witch, named in honour of Wicked which was playing at the theatre next door.

Two happy drinkers

For dins and entertainment, we went to Manchester Lane Jazz Club. While the service was a little bit slow, the food and band more than made up for it!

Our pot of bread. It was still warm!

My entree of flame grilled scallops. That fennel salad was really nice too :D

Searnsy's entree of fried calamari salad. I ate a bit of it - we think he's on a diet.

My main of gnocchi served with wild mushroom fricassee and truffle oil. Mmmmm, truffles...

Despite being absolutely stuffed (I ate some of Searnsy's main as well), I made the surpreme effort to eat dessert - Saffron raspberry mousse. That mint ice-cream was mighty tasty too!

The Grand Empress with her mousse complete with celebratory sparklers!

The Grand Empress eats her other birthday cake - a mud cupcake

The band - they did RnB and motown classics!!! It was awesome-a-power.

Alas, I was feeling burnt out from a variety of things and I couldn't kick on afterwards. :'(
You know that warm feeling you have when you're really tired but you're forcing yourself to stay awake? I had that :( But Happy Birthday Grand Empress and have a good trip and another awesome party back in London!

Hat Season :D

There are things I don't miss from the fashion of ye olden days. Corsets are one. Sure, it looks elegant but I don't like the idea of squishing my internal organs given that I know what they do. And since I'm of that background, I don't miss the idea of foot-binding. Using lead makeup is another. Putting atropine/belladonna in my eyes...the list goes on. One thing I do miss is the wearing of hats.

I love me a good hat and I love it when horseracing season descends upon the city every year when I can indulge in getting myself a new one. One that I'll probably wear only once, maybe twice, but one I get to wear nonetheless!

I haven't bought this year's hat yet, but I did find one that I really LOVED. Dancinghula loved it too and took a pic of me in it.

Oooh, isn't it so My Fair Lady-ish?

So what's my objection to purchasing this hat? Well, perhaps the fact it comes in $AUD700 (approx $US469, 366 euros, or 290 quid). That's like my fortnightly income. And while I know I can chuck it on the credit card....I will resist. I really am crying on the inside.

Seriously peeps, watch out mmmkay?

So I'm back at work today. There's a lot of tradies around because the building is undergoing a variety of system works; pipe replacement, putting in new network cables etc., so there is a degree of ladder dodging and the occasional safety bollards and orange danger signs. But today took it to another level.

In the hallway of my office to the internal stairs, I saw these bollards. Nothing particularly special about them.

Until you get closer and you get to see what the danger is.
What the...?! Putting men in confined spaces?! Damn straight we'd better be careful because forcing those guys into small workplaces makes them angry!
And you won't like them when they're angry...

(Thanks to dancinghula who took the pics for me)

Randoms

There's not really much to write about today. I was totally wrecked as a result of spending all weekend not sleeping (much) and then having rendezvous with Pascal, so I spent today at home and did three loads of laundry. So this is going to be about random things that occur to me today.

Watching music videos, maybe it's the wet shirtless man-fighting, but I find the clip for The Presets' This Boy's In Love strangely hypnotic.

I'm also really lovin' Kanye's new song Love Lockdown


I'm really craving some blue cheese right now. An oozing blue, maybe a gorgonzola with pears. Nums. I also want some pate to go with my cheese. Luckily it is raining outside and I don't want to waste petrol.

I found this opinion piece about laughter as a child versus laughter as an adult quite nice. I always thought it's better to find happiness in simple things versus gadgets and toys.

Watching Jules et Jim...I still have no idea how anyone could mistake Jeanne Moreau as a male.

Vanillabear? I've found (one of my) dates for your wedding. I'll try to make him wear shoes.

Oh, Mr Darcy!!!

Well to follow up The Bender, Lydia was holding a 'Girls' Night In' party to raise money for charity, but mostly so we could watch all SIX HOURS of the 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice starring Jennifer Ehle as Miss Elizabeth Bennet (Lizzie to her friends) and Colin Firth as Mister Fitzwilliam Darcy.

That room was just so full of love for those six hours. We sat enraptured and marvelled at the civility of 19th century mating rituals - when Mr Bingley asked if he could reserve the first two dances with Jane Bennet, why didn't he just ask for her hand right then and there!!! We'd also try to translate the regency-speak into modern jargon. For example:

• My friend requested and introduction = My mate thinks you're hot
• Obstinate, selfish girl! = You bitch!
  

One of the girls declared that she could in no way have put up with all the formality of the Regency world and if she were in the 19th century, she would have been a drunkard or a prostitute or a drunk prostitute.

Can I just say, the casting in that production is just PERFECT. I don't need to talk about how Jennifer is Lizzie or that Colin Firth has been cast as Darcy ever since (but it's a good living!). Okay, Julia Sawalha was probably too old to play Lydia Bennet (she was 25 playing a 15 year old) but she was suitably annoying and frustrating as the silly girl. We all agreed that the real centrepiece of P&P is David Bamber as Mr. Collins. Seriously. He is just as smarmy and disgusting and repulsive and crawling and blerk that we just sat there screaming whenever he came on screen.

It was also amusing to dissect the make up and costuming - how breeches are so unflattering on the men. The way empire line dresses made them look like the girls were wearing nightgowns or curtains depending on the fabric. How could the men breathe with those tall collars and cravats. The way all the girls could not show their legs but so long as nipples weren't visible, the neckline could be as low as you wanted...unless you were supposed to be unattractive (i.e. Mary Bennet or Charlotte Lucas) and then they were covered up. And the way make up put bags and pimples on Mary.

It's been about 3 years since I last watched it. I didn't remember all the cheesy intercuts, the replay of scenes or voiceovers of key parts of the story, the soft focuses....hehehehehe. The stray hair at the top of the camera during the Netherfield Ball scene. The fake snow. The way Darcy never cracks a smile until the end. The way Darcy just got up and walked away whenever conversation didn't suit him. Hilarious.

Yes, it was highly enjoyable watching as we lay there eating M&Ms, marshmallows, shortbread and cupcakes watching Lizze reject offer after offer and then end up with a man with one of the greatest estates in Derbyshire.

You didn't really thin I'd leave without mentioning The Wet Shirt Scene, did you? We actually sat up straight for that part.

*grrl!*