New Title Image

Hey!
I felt like updating the title image to something a bit more interesting.
...
Well, that's it. Hope you like it!

4'33"

4'33" - Composition by John Cage, 1952
Performed at the Barbican Centre by the BBC Symphony Orchestra

If you want to find out more about this piece of music, click here. I guarantee that this song will get stuck in your head for the rest of the day!

New Monitor

I acquired a "new second-hand" computer monitor from a friend a few months ago, and last night I decided to set it up and see if it works.
Yep, it does! Now I have a lovely 42cm screen with which I can look at stuff in 1024x768 pixels... and it is a weird experience seeing stuff in a familiar size, only bigger!

Naturally I took a Dinkycam photo to commemorate the occasion.


I also took a photo of Jiji the cat, who was inside for some reason.


Yes, I did turn on the lights! I was a bit worried that these wouldn't work at all, because the camera wasn't uploading photos properly the last time I used it. Eep.
My Ma has told me that I can borrow her older Digital Camera, in case I feel inclined to take better photos. That is, photos with recognisable subjects.

I've also been doing some games stuff, and I'll also be upgrading my website sooner rather than later (yes, you'll finally be able to see things on it rather than just "coming soon, visit my blog in meantime").

My News

Aside from all that confec./art/bookish stuff, I've been quite busy these couple of weeks. I haven't been able to go painting for a while (almost a month), due to illness, work, and other general commitments. I will try to sort something out this week, and hopefully I'll have some photos of a finished mural to show you by next post!

During this internet session, I've been checking out my friends' blogs. Cathy's hasn't changed since I last visited, and Loretta's has been untouched for over a month! (I know why, though - both of them have been busy chickens with their education, so I'm not mad at them. :D )
Katie's blog has been a revelation. She has a good mind and a great heart, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading her comments about life and people. She does have a habit of filling her posts with those "fill in your answers and send em back" type quizzes, though - I think her essays are much better!
I have been unable to read Krys' blog as of yet - it requires a LiveJournal account, for reasons I have yet to fully learn... (hers is a bit more personal than, say, this blog.) I don't want to start up an account for something I'm not likely to use, so I'll just have a read while she's logged in next time (don't worry, she gave me permission to do that)!
If any of my other friends are reading this, and have a blog... why don't you send me the link?

Also, I watched Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds Live On Stage DVD last week, and I still can't get the songs out of my head! That album gave me nightmares as a kid, but now I want to find a copy for myself...

Shameless Chupa Chups Promotion!!!

Speaking of Chupa Chups (and I was, but the way this blog is arranged makes the chronology a bit confusing)...
The place where I work has a huge display of these things standing quietly in the corner. I say huge, because it can hold 1,000 of the lollipops at once (assuming my calculations are correct, I'll check this up).
I spent a little while restocking it last night. It doesn't get much custom, because the smaller one on the counter is more prominent, but it is definitely a sight to behold. Just seeing this column of confectionery does something odd to the senses.

Anyway, that was what prompted me to mention the whole Salvador Dalí thing (check next post), so I've decided to dedicate some space to the humble lollipops. You can check out the Flash site and the corporate website for more info if you like (I suggest checking out the FAQs page under the "Brands" tab along the top. Note FAQ number four!)

Random Chupa Chups facts

• Chupa Chups come from Spain! Olé!
  
• The name means "Lick a Chups". They were originally just called "Chups" but a radio jingle led children to believe that the "chup a" part of the song was actually part of the name... and it kind of stuck.
  
• The Spanish pronunciation is "Choopa Choops". We pronounce it as "Chuppa Chupps".
  
• They have been around for 50 years! Happy birthday!
• The company also makes Melody Pops, which we were never allowed to have as kids because they were way too noisy... ;(
  
• Did I mention that Salvador Dalí helped to design the logo? (It's changed a bit since then, of course, but the daisy outline was his idea, as was the placement of the logo bang smack on the top of the lolly.)
• You can buy miniature Chupa Chups decorations for your mobile phones! They're not edible, but they look just like a miniature version of the real thing.
• The average price of a single Chupa Chup in Australia is 47 cents. (At least that's how much we charge for them.)
  
• At the place I work, we sell about 19 different flavours, including some special 3-in-1 flavours like Strawberry-Orange-Kiwi.
• If you were to buy all of the Chups on that display I mentioned above, it would cost you $A470.
• My favourite flavour? Lemon Lime, or "Lime Lemon" as it's described on the wrapper.
  

The Persistence of Memory, 2009

Good news (for me at least)!
In about 11 month's time, the National Gallery of Victoria will be hosting a Salvador Dalí exhibition!
Hooray! Bring on the melty clocks and burning giraffes!

If you don't know who Salvador Dalí is, you'll probably recognise at least one of his paintings. His work has a distinctive style all of its own. Not only were his subjects so eerie and cerebral, his technique was quite frankly amazing. At times he painted with a brush equipped with a single fibre.
The guy was a genius.
And yet, he was virtually disowned by many of his peers for his shameless self-promotion, and his catalogue has been tarnished by the inordinate number of fakes (apparently he signed a number of blank canvases and papers for cash, so that others could create "original" Dalí-s to order).
Oh, and apparently he also designed the logo for Chupa Chups.

There was a recent, smaller exposition of Dalí's sculptures and framed works at a Southbank gallery several years ago. I almost went to see it, but for a slight misunderstanding at the time... (not blaming anyone)
I will definitely be going to see this show, even if the one painting I really want to see might not be there...
Roll on 2009!

Things I've Lurnded

For the past few years, I have been writing notes in a small blue notebook, which I have called "Things I've Lurnded". Yes, the spelling is deliberate.
The first entry dates from early 2003... and, though that is a while ago, the book is NOT full. Let's just say that I have approached this project with the same fervour that I approach most of my projects, that is, not very fervent. At all! Still, some of the things I've "lurnded" have been quite funny on reflection.

Things I've Lurnded

• You can't kiss your own elbows without risking serious and permanent injury.
• You can freeze vomit. Don't ask.
• That tomatoes are actually not too bad when eaten raw. I used to hate raw tomatoes, now I love them. Basically I'm fickle.
• To finish what I start! Riiiiight. You can see I've really "lurnded" this one good.
• Job interviews can be extraordinarily weird. I applied for a job at a new supermarket opening up in the area, and the second step of the application process was more like a theatrical audition than an interview! They made us get up in front of the rest and perform an "advertisement" for a given product, presumably to see how we would interact. I did really badly. Thank gawd.
• Bananas still can't be taken seriously! One of the other bizarre job interview things was to tell everyone the kind of vegetable or animal that best described you... and this was the one I picked. Hmmm...
  
• Never forget your childhood.
• Accept your family for what it is.
• Don't eat too many cookies!
• Strength can be exploited as weakness. (and vice versa)
• The best way to solve a tricky problem is to come back to it later.
• What I lack in physical strength, I make up for with imagination.
• Don't be afraid to SPEAK UP.
• Everyone has the power to help one's self - even if that's only the power to ask for help.
• Having pets is a huge responsibility. And one few people understand...
• What "artisan" really means. I thought it meant something like an artist who worked in basic materials like clay or metal. Actually, I wasn't that far off.
• I may in fact be totally normal. Well, let's not jump to conclusions just yet...!
• Wisdom can come from foolishness.
• People with high standards of other's usually don't come up to their own.
• "Sarsaparilla" is NOT a spelling mistake! Turns out, I was always spelling it wrong, and I'll bet a lot of other people were too.
• I am really bad at following through on things!

Will post more when I feel like it!