Happy Birthday to me...almost

In a few hours, I will turn 28. It's not a particularly watershed year, but I unabashedly love my birthday, so I never shy away from letting people know when it is.

I have always been baffled by people who don't tell you when their birthday is coming up. Your birthday is the one day out of the entire year when you can basically demand that people be nice to you. It's a celebration of your existence. So I don't get why some folks want to keep their special day a secret. Tell me it's your birthday, and I will hug you and buy you a cocktail. Win, win.

When I was in elementary school (and actually for much of high school as well), I would wear a gigantic button on my birthday that said "It's my birthday and I can do whatever I want." It was not very subtle. Not much has changed -- I throw myself a party every year and invite everyone I know. This year, I planned two parties in two different cities. For my 30th, who knows, my party might be simulcast in countries around the world.

My most memorable birthday? It's wasn't 16, when I got my driver's license. Or 18, when I could vote. Or even 21, when my drinking habit became acceptable in the eyes of the law. It was my 6th birthday: March 1, 1987.

You see, I was in kindergarten at the Wilson School at the time. And I couldn't wait to go to First Grade and join the ranks of the big kids. I used to ask my parents all the time when I could go to First Grade and they told me that when I was six, I'd have my chance. So naturally, I assumed that the day I turned six, I could leave the losers of Kindergarten behind forever and begin my life as a sophisticated First Grader.

I remember waking up that morning and being so excited I couldn't even eat breakfast. My mom dressed me in my favorite pink dress with a rhinestone hearts. And when I was dropped off at school, I made a beeline for the First Grade classroom, which was in the opposite direction of Kindergarten. The principal of the school, Mrs. Patton, stopped me curiously:

"Good morning, Katie. Where are you going?"

"It's my birthday, Mrs. Patton and I'm six today so I get to go to First Grade!"

"Well, Katie, happy birthday. But you will start First Grade in September with the rest of your class."

"But....I'm six TODAY and six-year-olds are in First Grade." (Duh)

The conversation devolved very quickly from there and ended with me bursting in tears, the idea of having to spend another day in Kindergarten too upsetting for me to bear. They actually had to call my mom and put her on the phone with me to calm me down. I was inconsolable.

I don't expect 28 to be as dramatic...but you never know.

My Nicola at Kim's!

I wrote a couple of months ago about my Shabner's Nicola being for sale. I love it... but gave it up to someone... not without regret... but it's so great to see it in the home of someone so utterly deserving, and it looks soo damn good in her home.

Kim from Desire to Inspire was the lucky buyer and I'm so pleased. I'm also so jealous that it fits so much better in her home!!!!! Nicola never looked so good!

Image from Kim's Flickr

For those of us in Victoria, Australia and are facing the threat of the bushfires, my prayers and thoughts are constantly with you. Hope none of you lose homes today in the threat of high temps and high winds. I too, will be watching my skies and fields around us!

Am I a snob?

Recently, over beers after class, a fellow Emerson student confessed that he had been worried when he'd first met me and realized that we had a class together. This was because he had heard, from another writer in our program, that I was a snob. Now that he knew me, he said he did not find this to be true, which is why he felt comfortable telling me this in the first place.

Of course, whenever one hears something negative about oneself through the grapevine, it's important to consider the source. The person who said I was a snob turned out to be a girl I met briefly during orientation. We were grouped together for an icebreaker activity. I don't remember much about orientation, so the details of our interaction are a little blurry, but I think we discussed reasons for getting our MFAs. Since my plans are kind of vague (it's not like I showed up with a specific book in mind to write), I don't know how I could have come off as snobby.

But maybe the question merits consideration. Maybe I am a snob.


The definition of snob, according to Webster's (10th edition) is "one who tends to rebuff, avoid, or ignore those regarded as inferior; one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge or taste."

Hmmm. What this definition fails to account for is the possibility that "those regarded as inferior" actually ARE inferior. Just kidding. If I were snob, that would obviously be my response.

I confess that I am a book snob. I don't read books about boy wizards or horny vampires. The Da Vinci Code? Bitch, please. But given that I get paid to write book reviews, I think some snobbery in this arena is acceptable, if not downright necessary. But yes, I will judge you if your favorite book is Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. And I hope Mitch Albom is one of the five people I meet in heaven, so I can punch him in the face.

I wish I were more of a wine snob, but in actuality, I'm more like this guy:


I talk a big talk with the wine guy at my local liquor store ("I'm looking for a young California pinot, something fruit-forward"), but I'll drink anything. I just think it would be cool to be a wine expert. But I love wine, even when it comes in a box or a jug.

I'm definitely not a music snob. I am the first to admit that I have pretty uncool taste in music. I love music, but I get equal pleasure from Rufus Wainwright and Rihanna, Britney and Bach (all of whom are on my iPod). I like showtunes, I like shitty pop, I like opera, I like Journey. So I don't think I have an "offensive air of superiority" when it comes to music. Ditto with film. I like movies, but don't really have a critical eye for them. If popcorn and Milk Duds are involved, I'll probably have a good time.

My dilemma now is this: I want to prove to this girl that I'm not a snob, but I don't know how to do it. First impressions are hard to undo. I also want to call her out on talking about someone she barely knows. I mean, that's rude. I wouldn't do that. I guess you could say I'm above that kind of behavior.

Oh shit.

Ish and Chi Etsy store

Ya all have to go to Ish and Chi's brand spanking new Etsy store to see and grab some happy prints!

Love the pink one! Already have a spot picked out ;)





See more here. Well done, Viv!

Inspiration: Elle Decoration UK Oct 2008

You know you have these whispers of ideas in your head for ages and ages... and then you flip to a page in a magazine and you see that someone else has gone and done it?!

Elle Decoration UK Oct 2008 has TWO of this images.

One:

I've wanted a set of those flying wall ducks for myself for a while now but they are quite dear on eBay... esp the good ones. Seems a pity to then spraypaint them! But I'm going to get myself a set that isn't so "good"... that I can coat with gleaming paint.

A good one on eBay Australia

Two:
We have a bar area which we have turned into our coffee bar. I've been wanting to start a Holmegaard collection to line on the back of this area which is mirrored.



Just like this one in Elle Decoration UK:


Or like this one I've had on my inspiration-board for nearly 2 years, from O At Home, 2004, featuring Muffy Nixon's home.


What have you read lately that inspires you?

Seymour Philip Hoffman and other memorable Oscar moments

Well, well, well. Another Oscars down and overall, I was pretty entertained. Some of the production choices were questionable and as always, the number of montages was excessive, but the live broadcast seemed to go smoothly and there weren't too many surprises.

In my betting pool, folks were unanimously outraged by Bruce Springsteen's snub, since his song for "The Wrestler" was awesome. A song from "Slumdog Millionaire" called something like "Giant Ho" took the award. We were split on Mickey vs. Sean, and although I was rooting for Mickey, I correctly predicted Sean's win. Initially, I was outraged at the "Council of Elders" format for the acting awards (thanks to Andrew W. for that genius description) and then once I realized how moving/meaningful it was to the nominees, I decided it was a good change. I guess this is really more about them then my viewing pleasure.

But Barbara Walters interviewing the Jonas Brothers? And Beyonce's lip-synching? And Alan Arkin's Best Supporting Actor tribute to "Seymour Philip Hoffman"? Kind of inexcusable, even if PSH was wearing a knit cap with his formal wear. And you know that curtain gaffe in the opening moments right before the Best Supporting Actress montage got somebody fired. That's maybe what I like best about the Oscars-- all the little moments where you know the PAs backstage are shitting their pants.

Anyway, I was psyched for Kate, a little sad for Mickey, pleased with Angelina's accessories, and delighted with Hugh's opening musical number even though he lost steam later on.

Top Five Favorite Dresses/Looks:

1. Taraji P. Henson -- can I borrow this dress for my wedding?

2. Alicia Keys


3. Anne Hathaway. I'm not a huge fan of her acting, but girlfriend looked gorgeous.


4. Meryl Streep. I mean, as entertaining as it is when Meryl shows up in some random frumpy outfit because she doesn't expect to win, I appreciate it when she puts in the effort.


5. Robert Downey, Jr. I'M SO EXCITED FOR SHERLOCK HOLMES!

Yum. If I weren't lazy, I'd photoshop his wife out of the picture, but I guess I'll just have to mentally erase her for now.

Yellow and white happiness in my courtyard

I shared my dreams/plans for my dismal courtyard/garden in September 2008. In October 2008 I showed you a cast aluminum Coalbrookdale outdoor setting the MIL and I scored from someone's here-take-it-pile mid last year just before moving to our first/current house.



We have enjoyed a few breakfasts and morning work on that setting despite chipping paint.



Now the grass/lawn is dead, the bushes are dead... just not enough water/rain and we have very high restrictions for watering atm. So the dismal courtyard is looking worse... sigh!

But I have been rather busy!!! After a very difficult time of getting rid of old paint with expensive but ineffective products from Bunnings, I finally called it quits and took the setting to a sandblaster. After a coat of galvanise protection to protect the cast aluminium, I sprayed two coats of sunny, happy yellow.





One of my favourite furniture pieces is the white cane settee I scored off Ebay.

So although the garden is dismal, I think it is now one of my favourite areas to relax, read and hang out.

Planning on gathering more white cane pieces and maybe a few more of those cast chairs... perhaps a large table for outdoor dinners...

I would love to paint over those ugly terracotta tiles white gloss as well (unsure if this is possible/practical) as the dismal fencing (soon!)...

Of course, still no super large shady trees for my French settee on a swing!

Hope you have a great weekend!!!!!

So You Think You Don't Like Poetry

(part 4 in an ongoing series)

After an evening of bad T.V. (seriously, did you see American Idol tonight? It was a hot mess), I need a little poetry to lift my spirits. This week, I'm going to go with a poem by someone I went to college with who is doing quite well making a living as a poet. Her name is Dora Malech and she's my age, which is both intimidating and inspiring. Her poems have appeared in The Yale Review, The New Yorker, and Emerson's own literary journal, Redivider.

I love this poem, "Push Pull," because of how it plays with sound. The more times I read it, the more things I discover. She's really expanding within the couplet form and doing amazing things with rhythm and rhyme. I hope you like it!

Push Pull

Coughed and called what bled the quick.
One kick, one trick, one act, one hit.

Called the troops less precious few.
To lift a fist and strike a deal.

To best the jester, cheek to lodestone.
Not rising was occasion of its own.

Spring brought a stiff rain of prostheses,
the storm's black eye on our procession

draped in lace, hook, line and I do.
Meant charred limbs, rest in pieces.

Meant long time came and none too quiet.
Then, too quiet beneath the birthing

of new galaxies, the nebula's
dark arms of dust. Sun smoldered on.

Baby's first words were friendly fire.
Chrysanthemums of copper wire.

Cat buried out back in a satin hatbox
beside my big broken, obsolete token

I'd taken to wearing on a string. Tried
to trade, but the wind wouldn't bargain, took

more than her fair share of starlings,
left me kneeling on the tarmac,

mouth full of ammo and ipecac,
strange heart in my throat, a belly of swelling.

Bells on bridles to ready for battle.
Broke those horses and there weren't any

horses left. Explosives in the hope chest.
Hawks waiting to be whistled off the fist.

Doused the dovecotes with gasoline.
Slipped the last dowels from the cask.

Couldn't we call the crash a birdbath?
Couldn't we call the coffins gift wrap?

Must have been some misunderstanding.
Shore ordered ocean but sent it back.

My new babies!

Okay, so I'll divulge. About 90% of the furniture in our home is second hand bought. Our sofas, Ikea Granemo cabinet, Ikea highchair, TV sideboard, queen size bed (now the guest bed) are the only items purchased brand new!

Now we have the fifth! And largest! A china cabinet!
Bought at the clearance store of Provincial Home Living for only 1/3 of the retail price.



I love it! At the moment in our spacious home, it only stores what I like to display. But if we move into a smaller premise (which might be the case soon), this will become our bookcase, linen closet and china cabinet. (Which was my excuse for getting it!)

The last two shelves are filled with my now complete Johnson Bros dinner & coffee setting! Scored a large pile of it on eBay for $20 two weeks ago. In an antique store, or to gather it in bits and bobs as I have been doing for the past 2 years would have cost up to $200, thanks, Mrs Ebay-Person!



At last count:
Dinner plate: 6
Breakfast bowl: 3
Tea cup: 7
Saucer: 10
Dessert plate: 4
Bread and butter plate: 8 yay!
Milk creamer: 1

Today:
Dinner plates: 13
Soup/pasta plates: 8
Breakfast bowls: 11
Tea cup: 14
Saucer: 22
Dessert plate: 4
Bread and butter plate:18
Milk creamer: 1
Salt and pepper shaker: 1 set
Sugar bowl:

Now I have the china cabinet item ticked off... along with my good china set ticked off!! :)

What have you recently ticked off your list?

AWP Recap

Sorry for the hiatus in posting, but I just returned to Boston after a 4-day trip to Chicago for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference. Students from Creative Writing MFA programs around the country attended, as well as authors, journalists, writing professors, and representatives from literary journals and publishing houses. There were panel discussions, readings, slams, book signings, and a lot of schmoozing/networking events with drink tickets. I'm exhausted, but overall enjoyed myself and met some interesting people in the industry.

Among my favorite panel titles:
Don't Stand so Close to Me: Controlling Narrative Distance
Jewish Poetry vs. Poetry by Jews
Gay Regionalism through the Eyes of Appalachia
Avoiding Sick Mothers, Absent Fathers, and Losing Your Virginity: The Tropes and Traps of Nonfiction
Quantum Narratology: Toward a Transactional Interpretation

I didn't actually attend any of those, but the titles tempted me. I did check out something called "Bad Poems by Great Poets," which was entertaining. It's refreshing to realize that even people like Wallace Stevens wrote a few stinkers. And to be able to discuss how much undeserved exposure Galway Kinnell's sex poem "Rapture" gets, especially around Valentine's Day. From a craft standpoint, it's just not his best.

The highlights of my AWP experience included hearing Paul Muldoon and Mary Jo Bang read and discuss their work, drinking with Emerson students at bars other than The Tam, and scoring literally dozens of free pens and notepads off tables at the Bookfair. I learned about applying for fellowships and getting published, and that unleashing a bunch of writers and academics at an open bar dance party results in utter chaos. You haven't lived until you've seen a bespectacled gray-haired professor doing the Worm.

I also found time during my stay to stop by The Wieners Circle, get dim sum in Chinatown, and enjoy a dirty martini at the very old school steakhouse Myron and Phil, as featured on the local Chicago TV show "Check, Please!" hosted by Alpana Singh.


My kind of town, Chicago is! And it just struck me how syntactically odd that song lyric is.

Ensuite planning part 2

All of us have yucky-areas-that-need-serious-attention but budget only allows for so many things to be done yearly. I blogged in October 2008 about our master ensuite that we haven't used since moving in, but woulod be great to be able to use instead of running to the main bathroom for showers etc.

From that blog entry I included some gorgeous bathrooms that inspired my re-design.

No we haven't gotten to it yet... but I just had to share/record on my blog some features from these two bathrooms which I would love to incorporate into our redesign.

I really love a eclectic homes and this bathroom so chic-ly marries ultra-modern with rustic. The sink fixtures/hardware are so incredibly modern and sleek yet the mirror is rustic and simple and I do love the bright pop of colour with the orchids which do love a bright sunny but not dry area. I also love how the look is light and not heavy with furniture etc. 'Course, not sure where the toothbrushes go with this look! ;)

Scanned from Home Beautiful

The only spot for the sink is against a full length window so hanging a mirror above the sink (we're thinking of covering up the bottom part of that window for sink pipes etc) may not be best solution. I love bright bathrooms and this window adds alot of light into our bedroom.

So maybe a mirror that swings out into that space like this one.
Too understated, though... no?

Scanned from Country Home Ideas

Hope some part of this inspired you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thank you so much for staying with me, reading my blogs and sharing in my attempt at creating a more beautiful space for my family to call home!

Happy Val's Day to you!


Yoghurt chocolate truffles and beads say it all, right? ;)

Have a great weekend!

I'm still hoping for my perfect summer day: 20 degrees, overcast and a drive through the Victorian countryside visiting antique and vintage stores with a wad of cash.

Flickr user: omnipasado

Un-beige cubicles

via Flickr user: Kristen Anna

I worked for a few years before falling pregnant in a small cubicle. While I wasn't one of the lucky few with a view of Sydney Harbour and the Opera House, all I had to do for that was stand up and the window would be 4 feet from my seat. It was a rather open office and I didn't feel boxed in... and I guess my design passion wasn't quite so... intense as it is today.

But I think a few more years in that space and I'd be tempted to do the same as graphic designer Maria, seen today on Lifehacker. Maria got some inexpensive fabric from Ikea and created a personal and happy space for her daily 8-hour grind.



Good huh? And not much of experience and skill required, just a "that's it, I've had enough of beige", a staple gun and some pretty fabric. Read more of Maria's cubicle happiness on her blog.

Of course, that got me going to Flickr for more cubicle happiness.

Enjoy!!

Flickr user: creampuffles

Flickr user: jamalistics

Flickr user: lorihighfill

You know you're broke when...

....the discovery of a Borders gift card from Christmas fills you with joy because you realize you can use it at the Borders cafe and eat something other than Craisins and stale tortilla chips for lunch.

I understood when I decided to go to graduate school for poetry, as opposed to law or business, that I was committing to a life of financial struggle. Even published "successful" authors have to teach to support themselves (which is fine with me, I love teaching) and book advances are not as lucrative as they used to be. When I went to my five-year college reunion last June and told my fellow classmates that I was starting an MFA program in Creative Writing, most people responded in awe: "Wow, that's so brave!"

I guess it is brave...certainly, my life is more suspenseful than when I worked a regular job and received bi-weekly paychecks. Freelance writing is tough in terms of cash flow-- sometimes you get paid promptly. Ok, sometimes is a little generous. I just got paid last month for a story that ran in Time Out NY in September.

And you can't control when you'll be working -- for instance, I have a pretty sweet gig writing 700-word articles for an internal Smithsonian publication called The Torch. They pay well and it's the government, so the direct deposit does usually come in on time, but things can still go haywire. Like last month, when the person I was supposed to interview for a profile decided to leave the country for three weeks without telling me. I couldn't make my deadline and the story is now indefinitely postponed. Which means $500 less in my bank account, which means readjusting my lifestyle and becoming a Lady Who Lunches at Borders.

I am not implying that I deserve sympathy. I love what I do and I love being in school. Paying off my loans won't be a picnic, but I have a couple of years before I have to worry about that. And poverty does breed creativity -- this past weekend, when my brother (also a broke student) was in town, I found a number of free activities for us: Sam Adams brewery tour and tasting, the Freedom Trail, a friend of a friend's open bar birthday party. We did a lot of drinking and sightseeing and I sent him home on the Fung Wah bus properly hung over, like a good big sister.

I have friends and I have my health, so I guess in George Bailey terms, I'm the richest (wo)man in Bedford Falls. My birthday is coming up -- March 1 -- and I hate getting cash. But I do accept hugs, cards, home-cooked meals and cocktails. I mean, what kind of writer would I be if I didn't have a drinking problem?

p.s. I'll be at the Borders in Copley Square if you want to visit me.

yellow and white on the outside

been dreaming of a sunny warm yellow house with white trim, or a white house with bright warm sunny yellow door and black trim.

Country Home Ideas

Skeppsholmen

The famed Monkey Cottage

Country Living

Country Living

Taken from Flickr user: lumierefl

Have a great weekend! We're hidden away in our home due to the 45 degree heatwave here in Melbourne, Australia!

What are you dreaming of today?

The worst part about being on Facebook

Clearly, there are many annoying things about Facebook, everyone's favorite time-wasting blessing-and-curse, but this has got to be the worst:

I recently went through a break-up and was torn about changing my Facebook status, out of fear of receiving questions and frowny-face emoticons from my 700+ friends. For about a week, my ex and I just didn't change anything. Then I discovered a privacy setting that allows you to change your relationship status without blasting it on your feed. So I erased my status altogether so I was not listed as single or in a relationship or, my personal favorite, "It's complicated with..." (isn't it always?)

However, my discretion proved to be moot yesterday, when my ex changed his status to single and allowed it to go out on his feed. Which of course invoked an onslaught of sympathy and encouragements on his wall to get out there and "pet the pussy" as soon as possible. Classy.

It's not so much that I'm annoyed with my ex -- after all, anything you can do to hasten the getting-over-someone process is a good thing -- I'm annoyed that we live in a world where you have to think about these things at all. I'm annoyed that as we were making the heartbreakingly personal and difficult decision to stop seeing each other, we actually had to discuss The Changing of the Facebook Status.

I've learned my lesson -- I'm never touching that shit again. No one on Facebook will ever know whether I'm single, in a relationship, engaged, married, divorced, cheating, rebounding, prostituting myself etc. If you want to know my "status," you're just going to have to ASK ME. Just like in olden times.

So thankful for...

Going into 2009 things are changing for us again as a family. Can't talk about it too much here, since nothing's concrete. We might be moving interstate, across the world... or staying put...


But I wanted to take a moment to blog about the small things that I take for granted...

1. I'm so glad the rubbish collector comes. I know this is fairly duh in the twenty-first century, but it's great that someone comes and carts away our unwanted trash. The used tissues, the shopping dockets, nappies, garden, kitchen and bathroom refuse... all gone, every week. Gives me great pleasure pushing back to the courtyard my just-emptied rubbish and recycle bins every Wed morning!

2. Until now, we've always lived in spaces that were far too small... lacked space and storage. I'm so thankful for our new home, that it has the space to contain us... my until-now disliked lounge sets don't dwarf the room now. They are not the prettiest but they are darn comfortable. And because we now have a large living area, they don't dominate the space!

3. This is the first time we enjoy a large enough master bedroom that we could very comfortably (with space to boot!) add Hannah's cot whilst we wanted to keep an eye over her nasty bout of eczema (violent scratching and mulching up of limbs). Although she is now back in her own room, I do miss hearing her breathe in sleep.



4. I've always wanted fresh cut flowers in my home. And of course, I've always wanted roses. Real bunches from the florists were always a luxury that had to give way to milk or nappies or towards the train tickets to work. My yearnings eventually gave way to some faux roses. (Which, let me assure you, are now eBay-gone!) Now in our own home, the previous owners had left us about 15 rose plants! I enjoy now fresh cut roses from my own bushes!

5. Growing up, the extent of recycling meant reusing single-side printed paper (which I still do till today for EVERYTHING we print. I get my sister to collect unwanted printed paper from her work for me to use!). I'm so thankful that today, I have a bin that collects tin, glass and paper products that I know gets recycled, instead of filling wastelands.

6. My pink Kitchenaid Mixer. Not because it's a kitchen status symbol or because it's pretty, but because we have been blessed enough to be able to afford all the other way-more-essentials for the kitchen... that we can then get me a Kitchenaid mixer.

7. Funnily enough, I'm thankful for weeds. (Before you write me off as an idiot, let me explain.) I don't like living above ground level. I was attracted to this home because it was single level. I like living on the ground level, not first floor, or second floor or WAY-LESS penthouse level, despite the untold luxuries of that status. I don't like stairs, even. Floating stairs (you know the modern ones without apparent support for the steps?) they terrify me. I think it stems from having lived in a rickety, badly maintained occupation-era double storey house in Malaysia for many years. So having a weed problem signifies I am able to live on ground level!

What are your seven simple, yet oft-taken for granted thankful items about your living space? If you do decide to blog about them, please let me know!

London Home: I love so bad!

Daisy Pink Cupcake posted shots of an AWESOME London home.
Man, I wish I were given that freedom around here :)







Hop over to her blog to see more shots!