beware late night thinking

Major Tom And The Atoms

2012-01-29T18:49:00.000+11:00

After a yummy dinner at Baba, Mary and I headed to The Retreat Hotel last night to catch Major Tom And The Atoms, the latest side project from Tom Hartney of Little Red. The opening band was Jimmy Hawk And The Endless Party. I enjoyed their songs and they had a few people up dancing by the end of their set.

Major Tom And The Atoms played a mix of original numbers and covers during their very entertaining and energetic set. Tom's baritone voice sounded great and the musicians in the band are all fantastic, particularly the saxophone player who had some mad solos throughout the night. Covers played included Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready," The Box Tops' "The Letter" and a medley of the themes from Jaws, The Pink Panther, Get Smart and Batman which was used to introduce the band. Of the bands original songs, "Hey Flo" and "Rolling Stone" were standout tracks. They finished their set with "The House That Love Built" and then for an encore did an inspired cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle." It was a really fun night and we look forward to catching them live again soon.

Here's a clip of "Rolling Stone" to give you an idea of what they sound like live:

The Harpoons- Walk Away Single Launch

2012-01-26T16:26:00.000+11:00

Last night Mary and I headed to The Toff in Town to see The Harpoons launch their latest single "Walk Away." The first act on for the evening was Oscar Key Sung of Oscar + Martin. It was a lovely, laid back set from Oscar who has a very soulful voice. He sang along to pre-programmed beats and also used a looping pedal for his vocals at some points.

Next up was Melbourne band The Neighborhood Youth. They sounded promising at the start with their indie rock sound and jangly guitars, but after a while their songs started to blend together. While I think they are talented their problem may be that they sound too much like a blend of other popular bands.

By the time The Harpoons took the stage the venue was packed. They played a great set with a mix of old favorites and new songs. "Faith" was the usual showstopper, showcasing Bec Rigby's amazing voice. It was also good to hear "Swim My Baby" live again and the new single "Walk Away" for the first time. We were even treated to a cover of Bill Withers' "Just The Two Of Us." They finished the main set with "Keep You Around" and played "Garden City" for an encore. I'm happy to see their popularity growing and can't wait for this debut album to be released.

Sunday Afternoon with The Good China

2012-01-22T21:01:00.038+11:00

Photo by Guerilla Creative

This afternoon I ventured out into the hot weather to see The Good China play as part of Johnny Rock & The Limits Sunday residency at The Workers Club in Fitzroy. The Chinas played a fairly even mix of old and new songs in their 45 minute set, including "If Pain Persists," "All Nothing," "We Found 3 Whistles" and "No More Maps, No More Roads." The newer stuff sounds good, and I have heard some of it live once or twice before. There was also some amusing banter in between songs, including a discussion of the movie Predator. Unfortunately I didn't have time to stay for the full bill, but it was nice to be in a cool, dark room for a bit listening to live music.

The Ocean Party- Young Love Single Launch

2012-01-15T19:34:00.090+11:00

Last night Mary and I went to the John Curtin Hotel to see The Ocean Party launch their latest single "Young Love." First up for the evening was Slow Dancer, who played a great set. Simon was once again accompanied by Rohan Sforcina on drums and James Vincent on bass. "Leave It To Me" and "Home" were my highlights and it was nice to see Simon's Oh Mercy bandmates out to support him.

The second band on the bill was Melbourne three piece ScotDrakula. They played a very energetic set of punk/indie sounding songs with a hint of rockabilly as well. I really liked them and it was good to see a female drummer in the band. Next was The Eliza Band, a side project of Rory Cooke, the lead singer of Gaslight Radio. They played songs from their debut album Firework Dogs, of which "The Preston Front" was a stand out, and finished their set with a Gaslight Radio song.

Surprisingly there was just a small crowd in the bandroom by the time The Ocean Party took the stage. Nevertheless they played a solid set of songs from their various releases, including "The Dogs," "Deadbeat," "Shaking Like A Leaf" and their new single "Young Love." After the show Mary and I scored their entire back catalog for $10, which was an amazing offer. Their debut album The Sun Rolled Off The Hills will be released in February.

Here's the video for "The Dogs"

Fleet Foxes

2012-01-07T13:58:00.125+11:00

Last night Tash and I had dinner at Amigos on Acland Street (another overpriced, average Mexican restaurant in Melbourne- surprise, surprise) before heading to the Palais Theatre for Fleet Foxes sold out show. The last time they came through town I was away overseas, so I was very excited to finally see them live. The opening act was Grand Salvo, the moniker of Melbourne singer-songwriter Paddy Mann. He played a lovely set of folk music and was joined on stage at various times by a female vocalist and cellist for different songs.

The nearly two hour set by Seattle's Fleet Foxes was absolutely amazing. Their four part harmonies just soared and they played all the songs with energy and a sense of purpose. This was not a quiet folk show. The lighting was quite subtle with the band only occasionally lit from the front and background projections of moving stars overlaid with different geometric shapes. The set list consisted of songs from all three of their releases, including my favorites "Mykonos," "Ragged Wood," "Your Protector," "Montezuma," "Battery Kinzie," "The Shrine/An Argument" and "Grown Ocean." Quite a few of the songs were played back to back, and the band would sometimes double up on the same instruments to intensify the sound. When they did talk with the crowd the guys were quite funny, especially in telling a story about being in the same hotel elevator as Public Enemy's Flavor Flav the last time they were in Melbourne. The band received standing ovations at the end of the main set and after the last song of the night, "Helplessness Blues." This was a fantastic gig to kick off 2012 with, and will be a hard one to beat.

Here is the amazing animated video for "The Shrine/An Argument"

Top Ten Songs for 2011

2011-12-27T16:35:00.000+11:00

Another year is coming to a close which can only mean one thing- time for all those end of year top ten lists. Not to be left out, here are my top ten favorite songs for 2011 (aka songs that make me want to hit repeat after having just listened to them).

10. Slow Dancer "Leave It To Me"
Slow Dancer is the solo project of Simon Okely from Oh Mercy. "Leave It To Me" is the first song he has put up online and I really love the laid back feel to Simon's music as well as his excellent guitar playing. Definitely one to watch for 2012.

Leave It To Me by Slow Dancer

9. The Good China "No More Maps, No More Roads"
2011 saw the return of The Good China to the Melbourne live scene after nearly a year's hiatus. The single "No More Maps, No More Roads" was a live favorite and has all the great hallmarks of a Good China track, including lots of hand claps.

8. Boy & Bear "Feeding Line"
It has been a monster year for Sydney's Boy & Bear, having won 5 ARIA awards for their debut album Moonfire. "Feeding Line" was the first single off the album, and signaled a new musical direction for the band from their previous EP.

7. The Harpoons "Keep You Around"
Another favorite band of mine that reemerged this year was The Harpoons. "Keep You Around" showcases Bec Rigby's soulful voice in this song about love with the great lyric "when you smiled at me I was a hopeless case." I am definitely looking forward to their debut album coming out in 2012.

The Harpoons - Keep You Around by twobrightlakes

6. Liam Finn "Don't Even Know Your Name"
This song was not a single but it's my favorite track off Liam Finn's latest album FOMO. "Don't Even Know Your Name" has a driving beat and an optimistic energy to it, and I absolutely love the chorus (which for some reason reminds me of "Panic" by The Smiths). Here's a live version of song, but do seek out the album track.

5. Brous "Streamers"
The first single off of Brous' self-titled debut EP, "Streamers" sounds like a song from a 1960s James Bond film. Sophia Brous' voice is quite amazing and I love how the first verse of this song keeps speeding up. There is a definite cinematic quality to her music and it will be interesting to see what she produces next.

4. Seeker Lover Keeper "Even Though I'm A Woman"
Seeker Lover Keeper is the female Australian supergroup made up of Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby. One of the initial singles off of their self-titled debut album, "Even Though I'm A Woman" is a song about long distance love sung by Holly and written by Sally with some biting lyrics such as "I love you more when I'm missing you, it's why I'm always away." The song is a bit of an anthem for female independence.

3. Kimbra "Cameo Lover"
Kimbra is originally from New Zealand but has been living in Melbourne the past few years. "Cameo Lover" come off of her debut album Vows and won her the 2011 Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition as well as an ARIA award for best female artist. I love the contrast between the verses and chorus of this song as well as its fantastic video.

2. Gotye "State Of The Art"
You may have thought that I would pick Gotye's biggest hit to date, but no, my favorite song off of his latest album Making Mirrors is "State Of The Art." Only Wally would write a song about his beloved Lowrey Cotillion organ. My favorite part of the song is when the bossa nova rhythm kicks in to the lyric "start the bossa nova beat and limbo from the living to the kitchen." The video animation by Rubber House is also exceptional.

1. Oh Mercy "Stay Please Stay"
My most played song of the year is Oh Mercy's "Stay Please Stay," the first single off their second album Great Barrier Grief. I absolutely adore the chorus of this song, especially Thomas Savage's beautiful jangly guitar. It also has a great closing lyric by Alexander with "what can I do with a love that gathers dust in a busy room?" An indie pop classic.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T23:46:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas! I hope you have had (or are planning to have) a great day. This year my manager Elvira took pity on me and invited me to join her family for Christmas lunch. We had quite the traditional/Italian feast with antipasto dishes, snapper, turkey, stuffing and roast vegetables. As we were resting from this yummy meal the hot weather became thunderstorms and we got hit with a massive hail storm- some of which were the size of golf balls. It was pretty insane and the ground was covered in hail (a white Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere, if you will). This kicked off a series of about four different massive thunderstorm episodes throughout the rest of the afternoon/evening with thunder, lightning, hail, torrential rain and even a tornado warning throughout Melbourne. I've never seen anything like it before. We watched each storm in amazement as we continued into our dessert of fruit, cheeses, pavlova and Christmas pudding. At one point lightning struck one of the transformers on the street and the power went out with a huge explosion. It will definitely be a day we won't soon forget.

Seeker Lover Keeper- Heavenly Sounds Tour

2011-12-01T21:25:00.000+11:00

Last night I went to St. David's Cathedral in Hobart to see Seeker Lover Keeper play a sold out show. This Heavenly Sounds tour is taking place in churches and cathedrals around the country. Not only are the venues and acoustics amazing, but the crowd is silent and attentive during the songs. What a luxury these days for an Australian show.

The opening act was Henry Wagons of the band Wagons. He was great and played a set of country tinged music solo on acoustic guitar. Henry was very entertaining with his stage banter and had a song about "Willie Nelson," his own version of "The Gambler," and requested that guys don't date his sister on "Keep Your Eyes Off My Sister."

Seeker Lover Keeper started the evening with "Bring You Back." Sarah, Sally and Holly were in a relaxed and fun mood throughout the night, and their voices and harmonies in that cathedral sounded fantastic. They played the entire Seeker Lover Keeper album and highlights included "Light All My Lights," "Everytime," "We Will Know What It Is" and the always moving "If The Night Is Dark" (with my favorite lyric "This is my home, this is where I belong"). We even got their They Will Have Their Way contribution of Neil Finn's "Sinner," which was an interesting cover choice considering the venues on this tour. They also each played one of their own songs, with Sarah doing "Bird On A Wire," Sally playing New Buffalo's "Emotional Champ," and Holly doing "What I Thought Of You." The main set ended with "Rest Your Head On My Shoulder" and for the encore they played a cover of Stevie Nick's "Wild Heart" and then finished with "Even Though I'm A Woman." It was exciting to see these three ladies play together live again before they head back to their respective solo careers.

Here's the video for "Light All My Lights"

Farewell Hobart

2011-12-01T19:36:00.014+11:00

Today was the final day of the AARE Conference. I attended a session on improving success in pre-service teachers field experience, and an invited symposium on teachers and leaders in low SES schools. The conference finished at midday and I have learned a lot over the past four days. I am fortunate that I got the opportunity to attend and also present. After eating lunch I had a wander around Hobart with a new friend and then headed off to the airport for the flight back to Melbourne (the whole plane may have been full of conference attendees).

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 30

2011-11-30T18:38:00.002+11:00

Today was day three of the AARE Conference. We started the morning with an interesting keynote address on design for learning by Professor Peter Goodyear from The University of Sydney. I then attended a session on technology and learning, and the invited symposium on the international Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills research project.

For the afternoon I escaped the conference and took a ferry to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Don't worry- my boss came along as well. As the name says, the collection is a mix of old and contemporary art. There are some challenging pieces, but nothing I found too shocking. None of the pieces are labeled but you use an iPod Touch to get information (it geotracks where you are and pulls up details on the art that is nearby). The building and grounds of MONA are also amazing. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, and a great site for the last photo of the Wear My Wardrobe Challenge! I'm standing in front of the piece Snake by Sidney Nolan.

Today's outfit:
Blue long sleeve top (Now)
Black pants (Gap)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Elizabeth

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 29

2011-11-29T18:19:00.003+11:00

Today was day two of the AARE Conference. I attended sessions on NAPLAN exams, the Radford Lecture by Lyn Yates from The University of Melbourne, and a social justice panel discussion on equity and education research, policy and practice. Oh, and I also presented as part of a symposium with Deakin University on learning space redesign and pedagogy (the reason for this trip). I really dislike public speaking, but the session went well. I gave the Victorian Department perspective on our learning spaces research agenda, and Deakin talked about a few of the projects they have done for us. I am glad it is over and now I can relax a bit. Tonight I have a special interest group dinner to attend to meet others who are interested in politics and policy in education.

Today's outfit:
Floral top (Banana Republic)
Black skirt (Ann Taylor Loft)
Black tights
Black heels (Steve Madden)

Photo by Elizabeth

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 28

2011-11-28T19:41:00.003+11:00

Today was the first day of the AARE Conference. We were welcomed by the Governor of Tasmania and had a keynote address from Professor Miriam Zukas from Birkbeck, University of London on the conference theme of "Researching Across Boundaries." I attended symposia on supporting early career teacher resilience, reconceptualizing rural-regional pre-service teacher education, and contemporary professional issues for teachers in the 21st century. Today's photo was taken along the waterfront in between sessions (sorry I couldn't get a full shot).

Today's outfit:
Black long sleeve top (Mossimo)
Olive pants (Gap)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 27

2011-11-27T20:28:00.002+11:00

Today I flew down to Hobart where I will be attending the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference this week. I spent the afternoon wandering around the waterfront, including Salamanca Place which is the site of today's photo.

Today's outfit:
Blue shirt (Gap)
Black khaki pants (Old Navy)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Elizabeth

Oh Mercy: The Hi-Fi Bar

2011-11-26T18:20:00.001+11:00

Last night I ventured down to The Hi-Fi Bar for Oh Mercy's final headline show of the year. The first act of the evening was five piece band Buckley Ward, who played a decent set of indie music. Next up was Owl Eyes (aka Brooke Addamo). She and her band performed a very entertaining set of electro/indie pop music which got crowd up and dancing. The biggest response was for her Triple J Like A Version cover of Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks."

Oh Mercy took to the stage and started with "Hold Out Your Hand" and then played one of my Privileged Woes faves "Broken Ears" (complete with a blistering guitar solo from Simon). For these shows they had a keyboardist in the band to filled out the sound. Alex was in a very giddy mood and did lots of hand gestures while singing throughout the night (almost like Neil Finn video level stuff). They played four new songs, including "Lady Eucalyptus," "My Man" and "Europa." Other highlights were "Confessions," "Let Me Go" and "Lay Everything On Me." At one point the band left the stage and Alex performed David McComb's (The Triffids) "The Good Life Never Ends" solo and mostly a capella to the attentive room. The first single off Great Barrier Grief "Stay Please Stay" was the final song of the main set, and for the encore they played "Keith St." and finished with a raucous version of Leonard Cohen's "Memories." This was one of the more interesting Oh Mercy live gigs I have attended, and will probably be it for a while as they take a break to start writing for the new album.

Here is a clip of Oh Mercy's Triple J Like A Version cover of ELO's "Evil Woman"

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 26

2011-11-26T16:44:00.000+11:00

It is Saturday in Melbourne, which means it's raining (again). Today is a good day to relax, get laundry done, and pack as I am off to Hobart tomorrow for a conference.

Today's outfit:
Plaid shirt (H&M)
Jeans (Old Navy)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 25

2011-11-25T15:07:00.000+11:00

It is a long trek up the two sets of escalators to get out of Parliament Station in the morning. I usually walk up the first set, but the second one is twice as long so I just tend to stand to the left and let others tackle the climb. Another work week is coming to an end and tonight I am off to The Hi-Fi Bar to see my faves Oh Mercy play their last headline show of the year.

Today's outfit:
Grey cardigan (Merona)
Floral top (Old Navy)
Olive corduroy pants (Old Navy)
Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

The Harpoons and Boy & Bear

2011-11-24T23:58:00.116+11:00

This week is Melbourne Music Week, with today being the Live Music Safari where over 60 acts were playing for free in various venues around the city. Tash and I met up at The John Curtin Hotel in Carlton to catch the first act of the night on bill there, our beloved and much missed band The Harpoons. They started the evening with "You're The One I Love" and played a half hour set of old and new songs, including "Faith" and the fantastic new single "Keep You Around" (have a listen here). Bec Rigby's voice was as amazing and powerful as I remembered it to be, and the band harmonies were lovely. It is so great to have The Harpoons playing live again and hopefully a debut album is on the horizon.

I also had another concert to attend this evening, which was the first of two shows at the Palace Theatre by Boy & Bear in support of their debut album Moonfire. I arrived at the venue as Ball Park Music was finishing their set and caught their last two songs "Sad Rude Future Dude" and "It's Nice to be Alive."

Boy & Bear came out onto the stage to big cheers from the crowd and started their set with "Lordy May." They played the majority of both the Moonfire album and With Emperor Antarctica EP. Highlights of the set for me were "Blood To Gold," "Mexican Mavis," "Milk & Sticks" and "My Only One" (the end part of that song gets me every time). The band were accompanied by a violinist and cellist on several songs, and the crowd sang along to almost everything, including their cover of Crowded House's "Fall At Your Feet." Towards the end of the set they brought out all the supporting bands to sing backing vocals on "Big Man" and then finished the evening with their hit single "Feeding Line." Staying true to previous tour stops in Melbourne the boys continue to maintain their tradition of not playing encores. It was an excellent show and all the touring they have done this year has made them into a really tight live band.

Here's the video for the latest single "Part Time Believer"

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 24

2011-11-24T18:05:00.001+11:00

Today was a day of industrial action in the city. The Community and Public Sector Union held a stop work rally at 11am around our campaign for Fair Pay For Fair Work from the Victorian government because 2.5% is not enough. Considering our department executives have been receiving yearly bonuses of around 14%, I think the government can at least give the public sector workforce something that meets the current CPI level of around 3.6%. After gathering for the rally we marched to the steps of Parliament House. We also joined the big Australian Nursing Federation community rally at lunch time where they marched from Bourke Street mall to Parliament House. It was a sea of red along Bourke Street as the nurses fight to maintain and improve nurse patient ratios and ensure a high quality public health sector.

Today's outfit:
Black shirt (Now)
Grey striped pants (Old Navy)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 23

2011-11-23T14:54:00.000+11:00

Enjoy my artsy elevator shot. Only seven more days to go in the challenge!

Today's outfit:
Purple dress (Old Navy)
Black tights
Black boots (Diana Ferrari)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 22

2011-11-22T15:58:00.000+11:00

If there is one store you should not allow me to go into, it is JB Hi-Fi. I am old school in that I like to buy physical CDs, and I have quite the music collection of them at home. It is also impossible for me to leave the store with just one CD, as you can see from today's photo.

Today's outfit:
Blue-green top (Gap)
Grey pants (Gap)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 21

2011-11-21T15:12:00.000+11:00

Today's photo finds me in Parliament Gardens by the Coles Fountain. We walked past here on our way to lunch at the always yummy MissChu tuck shop on Exhibition Street.

Today's outfit:
Floral dress (Banana Republic)
Black heels (Steve Madden)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 20

2011-11-20T18:28:00.001+11:00

Unfortunately the weekend is almost over. I went to the gym this morning, did my grocery shopping, and then had a surprise visit from Chantal, which was nice. We spent the afternoon chatting in my courtyard, site of today's photo. Now it's time to cook some dinner.

Today's outfit:
Black striped long sleeve shirt (Gap)
Brown corduroy pants (Old Navy)
Flip flops (Old Navy)

Photo by Chantal

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 19

2011-11-19T12:03:00.001+11:00

It is a very rainy Saturday in Melbourne. I ventured out into the elements this morning to The Cutting Edge on Sydney Road for a much needed haircut. See how nice my hair can look when professionally blow dried?

Today's outfit:
Striped shirt (Gap)
Jeans (Gap)
Boots (Blundstone)

Photo by Kali

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 18

2011-11-18T16:07:00.003+11:00

It's not surprising that I have a massive sweet tooth (especially since I love to bake). Since it's Friday and also very hot outside, Zoran, Onagh and I decided to treat ourselves to some afternoon tea at Koko Black. I had a piece of opera cake and an iced chocolate. Slightly decadent.

Today's outfit:

Black polka dot top (Ann Taylor Loft)

Red corduroy skirt (H&M)

Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

Georgia Fair- All Through Winter Launch

2011-11-17T22:17:00.114+11:00

After a drink at Tuscan Bar and dinner with Chantal, I headed to The Toff last night for Georgia Fair's sold out All Through Winter album launch. There were already a fair number of people in the venue when I arrived, and it was a very young crowd. The first act of the night was singer-songwriter Carry Nation (aka Jessie Warren). She played a solo set on electric guitar and had some interesting thoughts that she shared in between songs, including her obsession with whales.

Next up was Slow Dancer, which is Simon Okely from Oh Mercy's solo project. Simon played the first couple songs solo on guitar and then was joined by James Vincent on bass and Rohan Sforcina (also from Oh Mercy) on drums. The songs had a really great laid back vibe and groove to them, and as expected, excellent guitar playing by Simon. I was very impressed with his set, and he finished with "Leave It To Me." I grabbed a free Slow Dancer postcard from Eliza Lam, who was working the merch desk, and told her I'd see her next week for Oh Mercy's gig at the Hi-Fi Bar.

The room was absolutely packed for Georgia Fair, and Tash, Jessie and Heath arrived just as they started their set. Jordan and Ben played most of the songs with a band but also did a few by themselves. Their set consisted of songs from the new album as well as a few from their previously released EP. "Picture Frames" got the biggest reaction from the crowd, and other standouts were "Times Fly," "Float Away," "Simple Man" and "Where You Been?" Thankfully the crowd were respectful and attentive for the tracks from new album, which are more mellow songs. The boys have recently moved to Melbourne, so hopefully there will be more local shows in the future.

Here's the first single off the album, "Where You Been?"

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 17

2011-11-17T13:15:00.002+11:00

I do not have a car here in Melbourne so I am a frequent user of public transportation. Since I live close to the city I can either take the train or a tram (site of today's photo) to get to and from where I need to go. One downside to the way Melbourne's public transport system is designed is the fact that it's hard to get across town as most lines run in and out of the city. This often leads to longer travel times, but it's something I can deal with. Even if I did have a car, I don't know when I would use it as I wouldn't drive into the city for work and everything else I need is in walking distance of my home.

Today's outfit:
Purple dress (Ric Rac)
Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 16

2011-11-16T17:43:00.004+11:00

I should be at the gym but instead I'm having drinks at Tuscan Bar. Oops. Actually I wasn't planning to go today as I am off to see Georgia Fair at The Toff tonight.

Today's outfit:
Magenta top (Jacqui-E)
Long sleeve black top (Old Navy)
Black pants (Old Navy)
Flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Chantal

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 15

2011-11-15T15:33:00.002+11:00

While wandering through Treasury Gardens I was a bit surprised to come across a memorial to President John F. Kennedy (site of today's photo). It was designed by sculptor Raymond B. Ewers and erected in 1965 to remember Kennedy's service as President of the United States. The memorial is surrounded by a pond which is used by ducks, including some very cute little babies that hatched recently.

Today's outfit:
White blouse (Banana Republic)
Brown skirt (Ann Taylor Loft)
Brown heels (Steve Madden)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 14

2011-11-14T23:06:00.001+11:00

Tonight after work a group of us went to see economist and Federal Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh speak about The Economics and Politics of Teacher Merit Pay at an event run by the Grattan Institute. It was an interesting discussion and Q&A session in addition to being very relevant for my current work. Afterwards we headed to Seamstress on Lonsdale Street (site of today's photo) for drinks and a bite to eat.

Today's outfit:
Dress (odille)
Black cardigan (Charter Club)

Photo by Elvira

Brous EP Launch

2011-11-13T20:52:00.001+11:00

Last night I headed down to the recently opened Phoenix Public House (formerly The Spot) on Sydney Road for Brous' sold out EP launch. First on the bill was American born actress and singer Jane Badler and The Give. She played a couple songs from her albums and did a cover of Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head."

Next up was Lost Animal, who were a bit delayed in starting due to technical difficulties. Featuring Jarrod Quarrell on lead vocals and keyboard, and Shags Chamberlain on bass, they played an interesting set of music that also utilized instrumental samples from a computer. I liked Jarrod's vocal delivery and enjoyed quite a few of their songs, including "Say No To Thugs" and "Lose The Baby."

Soon the voices of La Voce Della Luna filled the room. Performing in a space at the side of the venue, this amazing intergenerational choral group of 30 or so Italian women sang traditional songs in Italian accompanied by an accordion and tambourine. Sophia Brous even came out and joined them for "Bella Ciao." Unfortunately there were people talking at the bar while they sang, which made it a bit difficult to hear. However I found them very entertaining and they nearly stole the show.

Sophia Brous and her band then entered the stage and started their set with the current single off her EP "Little Ticket." Sophia was wearing this great blue long sleeve dress with pearl and gold buttons down the front. They played all the songs from the EP as well as a few new ones, with "Streamers," "Way Up On The River" and "Oh My Brother" being highlights. Sophia has an amazing and powerful voice and she alternated between two microphones- one normal and one with an echo effect. Sophia also sang a duet with Conrad Standish from the band Devastations, who was DJing for the evening. All in all I was quite impressed and the current buzz around Brous is definitely justified. I look forward to catching her playing live again soon.

Here is the video for her first single "Streamers":

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 13

2011-11-13T16:48:00.000+11:00

One of the down sides of having a washing machine/dryer combo is that clothes come out more wrinkled than if you have a separate dryer. Here I am ironing clothes I won't be wearing again until December.

Today's outfit:
Green short sleeve shirt (Wednesday)
Black yoga pants (Gap)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 12

2011-11-12T17:17:00.000+11:00

It's been a beautiful day in Melbourne, although I have spent most of it inside cleaning my apartment. Tonight I am heading out for the Brous EP launch, which should be fun.

Today's outfit:
Purple short sleeve top (Gap)
Grey jeans (Old Navy)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 11

2011-11-11T15:54:00.001+11:00

Happy Friday! Today I am practicing my starfish pose (as learned from Inge in Body Balance) on the grounds at work.

Today's outfit:
White floral top (H&M)
Jeans (Levi's)
Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 10

2011-11-10T13:53:00.001+11:00

Today's photo finds me in front of the Great Petition, created by Susan Hewitt and Penelope Lee in 2008 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in Victoria. The artwork, which is fabricated in rolled steel and painted white, references the "Monster Petition" signed by 30,000 Victorian women in 1891 calling for the right to vote from Parliament.

Today's outfit:
Teal top (edme & esyllte)
Black pants (Old Navy)
Boots (Sandler)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 9

2011-11-09T12:26:00.002+11:00

Working in and around historically significant buildings means there are many interesting little spots to explore- like the basement where the vaults are located. As you can see, some of these doorways are quite small in comparison to today's standards. I often wonder what kind of sinister things have gone on down here in the past (the building was built in 1875). It's another warm and humid day in Melbourne and I am hoping I will not have to swim home tonight due to the expected thunderstorms and potential flash flooding.

Today's outfit:
Black top (Merona)
Black camisole (Old Navy)
"Mad Men" berry skirt (Banana Republic)
Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 8

2011-11-08T15:17:00.001+11:00

I awoke this morning to thunderstorms in Melbourne, so it was a bit tricky finding something to wear considering it is warm outside but also wet. Today's photo was taken in Treasury Gardens. I apologize for the wrinkles on my dress- I was sitting in meetings for 3 straight hours this morning (fun!).

Today's outfit:
Green dress (Maeve)
Flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 7

2011-11-07T10:36:00.001+11:00

It's another work week, but at least we are having our divisional morning tea this morning. A sugar hit will help me make it through the day (and I will work it off in kickboxing at the gym tonight). Today's photo is taken on the grounds at work.

Today's outfit:
Floral top (Banana Republic)
Grey pants (Old Navy)
Ankle boots (Sandler)

Photo by Youla

They Will Have Their Way: The Songs of Tim and Neil Finn

2011-11-06T23:30:00.092+11:00

Tonight Tash, Mary and I met up in St Kilda for the They Will Have Their Way tribute concert featuring the songs of Tim and Neil Finn. After a quick dinner at Grill'd we headed over to the Palais Theatre and took our seats in the orchestra section. The performers on this tour all feature on the newly repackaged They Will Have Their Way album: Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby, and Sally Seltmann (solo and as Seeker Lover Keeper), Paul Dempsey, Clare Bowditch, Lior, and Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy). Each artist played several songs either by themselves or with others. There was also a backing band to round out the sound of the songs, which spanned all eras of Tim and Neil's careers: Split Enz, Crowded House, Finn Brothers, and solo.

There were so many great versions of the songs, but my favorites were Clare, Sarah, Holly and Sally doing "Fall At Your Feet," Lior's "Into Temptation," Sarah's "My Mistake," Paul's "Message To My Girl," Seeker Lover Keeper's "Sinner," Paul and Clare's "Turn and Run" (the one song I was hoping would get played), and Alex's "Now We're Getting Somewhere." I felt the crowd was subdued and a bit dull since they wouldn't really sing along or interact. Clare and Alex were the funny ones on the night and had us laughing a lot. The encore saw all the artists come onto the stage to finish with "It's Only Natural" and "Weather With You." All in all it was a great show with some interesting interpretations of the Finns' amazing songs.

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 6

2011-11-06T18:05:00.003+11:00

I have ventured to St Kilda this evening for dinner and the They Will Have Their Way Finn tribute concert. Today's photo is taken in front of the entrance to Luna Park.

Today's outfit:
Blue dress (Old Navy)
Sandals (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Mary

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 5

2011-11-05T17:20:00.000+11:00

It's the last day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival with Emirates Stakes Day at Flemington Racecourse. Thankfully the Kardashians fled Australia so they did not make it down to Melbourne for today's races. The weather is quite warm, which is a nice change from the rain and cooler temperatures we've been having. I've just been doing normal Saturday activities- laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning.

Today's outfit:
Black top (StudioM)
Olive shorts (Now)

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 4

2011-11-04T21:41:00.001+11:00

TGIF! It's always good to get to the end of another work week. Fridays are casual dress days in the office and usually a time for drinks after work. Mary and I met up with Chantal at Tuscan Bar and we hit the rooftop bar since the sun was out. After a drink and catch up we went for dinner at China Red (site of today's photo), a sister restaurant of HuTong Dumpling Bar. We feasted on an assortment of dumplings from the touch screen menu, which were all delicious.

Today's outfit:
Pink polka dot top (Merona)
Black long sleeve shirt (Merona)
Jeans (Gap)
Sneakers (Puma)

Photo by Chantal

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 3

2011-11-03T11:54:00.003+11:00

One of the great things about working in the city is all the little cafes in the surrounding area. Taking a "coffee break" (more hot chocolate or chai latte for me since I don't drink coffee) is a good way to break up the work day and get out of the office. This morning we went to Little Bean Blue, which is the site for today's photo.

Today's outfit:
Black top (INC International Concepts)
Plaid wool skirt (Gap)
Boots (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 2

2011-11-02T10:30:00.003+11:00

It's a grey and chilly day in Melbourne so I am dressed accordingly. The office is also a bit quiet today (perhaps post-public holiday sadness).

Today's outfit:
Green dress (Gap)
Black sweater (Old Navy)
Black tights
Boots (Diana Ferrari)

Photo by Youla

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 1

2011-11-01T16:17:00.000+11:00

It is a public holiday today due to it being the Melbourne Cup. As a result, I have been spending the day relaxing at home. The winner of the race that stops the nation was Dunaden from France by the absolute slimmest of margins (it really should have been called a dead heat with Red Cadeaux).

Today's outfit:
Purple long sleeve top (Old Navy)
Black camisole (Old Navy)
Grey corduroy pants (Old Navy)

NaBloPoMo: Wear My Wardrobe Challenge

2011-10-31T22:02:00.001+11:00

Tomorrow begins National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) where you post at least once a day for the 30 days of November. This will be my third time participating, but I've decided to do something a bit different this year. Inspired by my friend Inala's Frocktober effort of wearing a different dress everyday, I have decided to challenge myself to "Wear My Wardrobe" and not repeat an item of clothing during the month of November. Most people only wear about 20% of their wardrobe. I have two closets and a dresser full of clothes, so finding something different to wear each day should not be an issue. I will document my efforts here with a daily photo of my outfit and try to put all those years of watching America's Next Top Model to good use. Here's hoping Melbourne continues its predictably unpredictable weather throughout the month.

Napoleon

2011-10-29T19:01:00.002+11:00

I just made a Napoleon dessert for the first time and yes, it tastes awesome. This is also why I will be hitting the gym on Sunday.

The Good China at Cherry Bar

2011-10-29T18:08:00.037+11:00

It has been almost a year since The Good China last played a show, so when Tash and I learned they would be returning to the live stage we had to be there. I headed out into the rain last night and got to Cherry Bar towards the end of The Harlots energetic set, with Tash arriving shortly after (driving down from Ballarat, such is her dedication).

The Good China still have eight members, but a new bass player. They started their set with a new song and then launched into "All Nothing," complete with hand clapping from various parts of the crowd. The set list was a mix of some pretty good sounding new numbers and old favorites like "If Pain Persists" and "We Found 3 Whistles." We also got to hear their new single "No More Maps, No More Roads," which was another favorite from previous gigs. It's so nice to have The Good China back on the Melbourne live scene and I look forward to catching them again soon.

The Queen in Melbourne

2011-10-26T21:47:00.025+11:00

The Queen and Prince Phillip were in Melbourne today for a very quick visit lasting about 4 hours. They opened the new Royal Children's Hospital, then traveled to Federation Square to see an Indigenous art exhibit at the Ian Potter Gallery. After walking through Fed Square and greeting the massive crowd (measured as "five times bigger than for Oprah") they boarded the "Royal Tram" and took a ride down St Kilda Road to Government House for a reception in their honor. Soon afterward they were back on a plane to fly to Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the main purpose for The Queen's trip to Australia.

Melbourne Festival

2011-10-19T22:49:00.067+11:00

Over the past few weeks the Melbourne Festival has been going on around town, featuring dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events by Australian and international artists. Today at lunch I finally managed to get out of the office to see the Angels-Demons. Parade statues by Russian art collective AES+F that are dotted around Swanston Street and St Kilda Road. I saw four of the seven giant statues at Town Hall, City Square, St Paul's Cathedral and Federation Square. Each one is a different shape and size, and are quite amazing to come across in the middle of an urban landscape.

After having drinks and dinner with Chantal and Amrita at a bar along the Yarra River in South Wharf, I walked to the Arts Centre to see the remaining three Angels-Demons. Parade statues and catch the light show Cacophony: The Art of Conflict by Australian projection artists The Electric Canvas. The walls of Hamer Hall and the State Theatre were used for a series of different projection vignettes- some going on simultaneously and others alternating. I watched for about 15 minutes and one of my favorite projections was a paint ball war where guns and cannons appeared and then paint splotches hit the opposing buildings. This is the last week of the Melbourne Festival so be quick if you watch to catch any of the events or shows.

Yet Another Music Video Graced By My Presence

2011-10-08T18:09:00.000+11:00

I have recently discovered that I am in yet another music video! This time it is Little Red's "Get A Life" which uses footage that was shot during their show at The Palace earlier this year. You can see me around the 0:29 and 4:18 marks in the crowd to the right of the soundboard. Look for Mary who has her camera up blocking her face and I'm next to her on the left. For those of you in the US, Little Red are coming to the States and playing some shows in October/November, so go check them out!

Gotye- Making Mirrors Tour

2011-09-30T23:54:00.068+10:00

After meeting up for dinner at Tazio on Flinders Lane, Tash, Mary and I headed over to The Forum for the first of Gotye's four sold out shows in Melbourne in support of his chart topping album Making Mirrors. We arrived during the second half of Oscar + Martin's set. They sounded okay but had some tech problems at the end so played a song doing the beats on the drums and rapping freestyle.

Gotye started his set with "Making Mirrors" and then played "Eyes Wide Open." Wally once again had the 10 piece mini-orchestra with him and used many of the same animations as at the Sydney Opera House album launch last month. The audience sang along to a lot of the songs, which was exciting since the album has only been out for a little over a month. "State of the Art," "I Feel Better," "Smoke and Mirrors," and the number 1 single "Somebody That I Used to Know" (this time performed with Kimbra's recorded vocals) were highlights of the night. Unfortunately Wally has been sick during the week and was starting to lose his voice by the end of the night. This may have resulted in a song or two being cut out of the set list, but he did come back out for an encore and played "Learnalilgivinanlovin." It is amazing how much success Wally is having with this new album and I hope the momentum keeps building for him both here and overseas.

Here's a short documentary on the making of Making Mirrors

When Silence is Hard to Find

2011-09-25T14:02:00.052+10:00

Flights back to Australia from the States are usually during night time, so it's often easier to try and get some sleep. However, when you have a toddler who is not a happy flier and spends the majority of the time crying, it makes sleeping difficult. The other kids on the plane did great, but this one child could not be consoled, which did not make for a fun 12 hours from San Francisco to Auckland. In addition, the Auckland to Melbourne leg had a fussy baby (but at least that was only a 3 1/2 hour flight). I tried to block out the noise by listening to music and watching some episodes of Modern Family as well as the movies Something Borrowed and The Switch. I am glad to be back in Melbourne, but not surprisingly I feel a bit tired. We will see how long I can manage to stay up today.

Logan

2011-09-23T16:31:00.023+10:00

One of the best things about being in the States these past three weeks has been getting to spend time with my nephew Logan. He was only a few weeks old when I last saw him so it's been fun to play with him now that he's nearly 2 years old. Logan is a sweet, calm, good-natured boy who loves cars and trucks and running around. And he hasn't been that shy around me, which could be in part because my parents show him photos of me when he's at the house.

My brother and I took him to the park one day and he immediately grabbed my hand and led me around to the different play structures. James, Simi and Logan have also been over for dinner a couple of times and Logan loves to run around in the backyard and explore things. Today my parents and I got to babysit him since James and Simi both had to work. It's going to be sad to leave and fly back to Australia today, but mostly because I won't get to play and hang out with Logan until I'm next in the US.

Heading Back North

2011-09-17T17:46:00.001+10:00

My Southern California road trip has come to an end. This morning we all went to have breakfast at IHOP and then Lei dropped me off at the airport in Burbank before driving back to the Bay Area (she wasn't sure she would be able to stay the whole week which is why I bought a plane ticket). I flew Southwest Airlines to Oakland and then took the Airporter bus back to Marin. I have had a fantastic time over this past week. Special thanks to Lei for being my travel companion and our Uncle Tom and Aunt Dulce for letting us stay with them (and also introducing us to the very yummy Porto's Bakery in Glendale).

Oh Mercy- The Hotel Cafe

2011-09-16T23:16:00.029+10:00

Lei and I returned to The Hotel Cafe tonight to see Oh Mercy play their only show in Los Angeles. I ran into Alex last night at Paul Kelly's show and he was kind enough to put me on the guest list. We got a table up the front and had a great view of the stage. The set was about 40 minutes long and instead of Alex solo we were treated to what he called the "trans-Pacific version of Oh Mercy" consisting of some LA musicians, including Mitchell Froom (producer of Great Barrier Grief) on keyboards. They started with "Keith St." and played "Mercy Valley," "Blue Lagoon," "Lay Everything On Me," "Stay Please Stay," "My Man," a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Memories," and finished with "Europa." It was good to hear the songs with a full band, especially the new ones that I first heard Alex play in July. I am really liking the harder edge to the new material. After the show I chatted briefly with Alex and thanked him again for putting me on the list. He flies back to Melbourne on Monday and is looking forward to showing off his tan.

Here is Alex doing an acoustic version of "Blue Lagoon"

Griffith Observatory

2011-09-16T22:38:00.020+10:00

This afternoon Lei and I drove up to Griffith Observatory. It was a hazy and overcast day so there weren't very clear views of LA but we could see the Hollywood sign. The Observatory building is pretty amazing and I went a bit crazy taking photos of its art deco features at various angles. We went inside and checked out all the different exhibits, which were well done, interesting, and engaging for a wide range of ages. This was the first time both of us had been there and we had lots of fun. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to see any of the planetarium shows, but maybe that can happen on a future visit. If you are ever in Los Angeles I definitely recommend making a trip to the Observatory and Griffith Park.

Paul Kelly- The A to Z Shows

2011-09-15T23:10:00.039+10:00

Tonight was the second night of Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly's A-Z shows at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. Paul was accompanied on stage by his nephew Dan Kelly for the shows. We got songs from his catalogue starting with the letters M- Z, including "The Oldest Story in the Book," "Randwick Bells," "To Her Door," "When I First Met Your Ma," "Winter Coat," "You're 39, You're Beautiful and You're Mine" and "Zoe." Since Paul did not have a "Q" song, he let Dan do one of his own- "Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam" off his latest album Dan Kelly's Dream, complete with the audience singing along to the chorus. The show was fantastic and it was a privilege to see Paul play in such an intimate venue (and for much cheaper than it would cost in Australia). I also got to catch up with my friend Nancy and her husband after the show, which was nice.

San Diego

2011-09-14T23:58:00.052+10:00

Today Lei and I drove down to San Diego for the day. Our first stop was UC San Diego in La Jolla. I don't think I've been there since graduating 14 years ago. There are a lot more buildings, and Roosevelt College is now located north of Thurgood Marshall. Lei and I wandered around campus checking out the Geisel Library and small Dr Seuss exhibit, Price Center, and a few of the art pieces in the Stuart Collection.

Next we drove around downtown La Jolla before deciding to go down to Old Town San Diego. We stopped for a late lunch at Mexican restaurant Barra Barra and had their happy hour margaritas and yummy tacos, as well as an apple crisp burrito with vanilla ice cream to share. We then walked around Old Town and went into some of the shops. The buildings are a mix of Gold Rush era and Mission style. If we had had more time we would have checked out some of the museums there.

For the evening we went to my old college roommate Shoshana's house for dinner. We got to meet her young daughter and chat for a while. It's been quite a few years since we last caught up with each other in person. Unfortunately our other roommates couldn't make it so I'll have to see them on a future trip. It was great to finally get back down to San Diego though and Lei and I had a fun day.

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

2011-09-13T21:47:00.051+10:00

Today Lei, Uncle Tom, Aunt Dulce and I went to see a taping of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at CBS Studios in Hollywood. The last time I was here was when Craig Kilborn was the host of the Late Late Show. Lei is a big fan of Craig Ferguson which is why she got us tickets.

Although it is Tuesday they were taping Friday night's show. Since the studio is so small they started by shooting the musical guest, county singer Justin Moore. After rearranging the set they ran through the whole show from the start with various regular segments and an interview with actor James Woods. The Woods interview went long so they had to bump the other scheduled guest, actress Kathryn Hahn, but they still taped her segment with us which will air next Tuesday night. I don't watch Craig's show but he seems to play more to the cameras than the studio audience. We were also encouraged by staff to laugh at everything, which I found a bit annoying as most other shows will play off of a joke succeeding or failing. It was an interesting taping to attend though- certainly a bit different from the other late night shows I've seen.

Downtown Los Angeles Arts District

2011-09-12T23:50:00.030+10:00

After getting out of the Warner Brothers parking lot Lei and I headed into downtown LA to meet up with our cousin Missy and her boyfriend for dinner at Wurstkuche on E 3rd Street. The restaurant is located in the Arts District and I was very impressed by all the murals and stencils on the walls in the neighborhood. It reminded me a lot of Melbourne. For dinner we had gourmet sausages, Belgian fries and beer while sitting outside to enjoy the evening. The food tasted good and I got some sauerkraut on my bratwurst so I was happy.

Conan

2011-09-12T23:45:00.064+10:00

Today Lei and I went to see a taping of Conan at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. The last time I saw a Conan taping was in 1998 in New York when he was doing Late Night with Conan O'Brien. We got their early to make sure we could get good seats in the studio audience. I was wondering if they would have any Conan merchandise for sale and lucky for us a guy came and opened up a stand in the waiting area. Lei and I picked up awesome blue t-shirts of an animated owl Conan in a tv shaped bird cage that are only available for sale to audience members.

As expected there was a lot of waiting around, standing in lines and walking as we went through the Warner Brothers lot to get to Stage 15. The Conan studio is decent sized and the set looks great in person. We had seats a few rows up in the center with a good view of everything. During the audience warm up Lei pointed me out to the comedian as someone from out of town. Thankfully he didn't seem to question my lack of an Aussie accent.

The guests for this evening's show were comedian and tv host Howie Mandel, boxer Floyd Mayweather, and musical guest Alexander Ebert (lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros). We had some funny comedy bits including John Galliano's brother and his many hats, and a cow committing suicide by jumping from the studio rafters and hanging itself after listening to the Basic Cable Band. Despite the cow incident the Basic Cable Band were awesome and it was a treat to get to hear them play full songs before the taping started and during the commercial breaks. Alexander's performance of "Truth" was amazing and had me wanting to check out his solo album. After the show finished taping we were asked to stick around for a special surprise and were treated to an additional interview with Ashton Kutcher, which will air as part of Thursday's show. It was a fun taping and Conan came up into the audience and sang to the crowd at the end.

Here is Alexander doing "Truth"

Road Trip

2011-09-11T23:23:00.028+10:00

This afternoon my cousin Leilani came to pick me up for our drive down to Los Angeles. We had discussed doing this little road trip around Christmas time, so it's exciting that Lei has gotten some time off work to do it. On the drive south we spotted over 20 trucks on the I-5 transporting tomatoes (we still aren't sure where they were originating from). For dinner and a stretch break we stopped at Harris Ranch, which is what my family and I used to do when driving to and from UC San Diego each year. When we came back outside it was sunset so I grabbed a few shots. We made good time to Los Angeles, especially since Lei was hauling it over the Grapevine. Our Aunt Dulce and Uncle Tom have been kind enough to let us stay with them during the week. We have lots of little activities planned so it should be a fun trip.

Jennifer and Alex's wedding

2011-09-10T23:15:00.089+10:00

Today was my cousin Jennifer's wedding, which was the main reason for my trip to the States. The ceremony took place at Saint Francis Solano church in Sonoma at noon (the mantra of the day was 9/10/11 at 12:00 pm). The weather was warm but not too unbearably hot and it was nice to see relatives outside of church before mass started. My nephew Logan was the ring bearer and he looked very cute in his white suit. We were curious to see if he would make it down the aisle, and he did- but he was carried by the junior bridesmaid because he got scared at the last minute. Jennifer looked beautiful in her dress and the ceremony went smoothly. Once Alex and Jennifer were pronounced man and wife we all exited the church and did a big photo on the front steps of the church (with the photographers stopping traffic and standing in the middle of the street).

The reception took place at Jennifer's grandparents amazing property in Sonoma. There was a bar in the middle of the grounds and appetizers being passed around when we arrived. They had also set up a photobooth with props, which kept all of us cousins entertained for a while. Once family photos were completed everyone headed into the impressive tent for our multiple course Italian meal. The wedding party came in and the newly married couple had their first dance. In between courses we had speeches from the maid of honor and best man. My uncle Tony also led us all in singing "That's Amore" before getting his father/daughter dance. We then all hit the dance floor as the live band played a wide range of songs from different eras (Montel Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" was a highlight for Missy and I). The wedding cake was a very yummy red velvet, and we continued to dance as the sun set across the vineyards. As the evening came to a close everyone gathered on either side of the driveway with lit sparklers in their hands as the couple walked through to their car. It was a wonderful day and so nice to be able to spend time with my extended family. I wish Jennifer and Alex all the best as they embark on married life together.

Shopping up a Storm

2011-09-05T20:28:00.026+10:00

I have been busy the past couple days hitting various shopping centers in Marin County. I bought a couple pairs of sneakers online before I arrived, and got clothes at Anthropologie, Gap, Old Navy and Macy's. My favorite purchase though must be my fake leather bomber jacket from Target which only cost $40. I would have spread out my shopping a bit more during this trip if not for the fact that I wanted to take advantage of all the Labor Day sales that ended today. This doesn't mean that there may not be more purchases in the next few weeks. It's my way of supporting the economy and bringing the US out of recession.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-09-02T21:01:00.034+10:00

Today was another one of those very long travel days when I arrive before I actually left. I got to Melbourne airport and faced lines for check in and more lines at security and customs, but made it through in time to board my Air New Zealand flight to Auckland. I was on the ground for a little over an hour before catching the next leg to San Francisco. Both flights went smoothly and I didn't have anyone next to me in the middle seat, which was nice. I watched a few episodes of Parks and Recreation and Big Fat Gypsy Weddings (does anyone else see a similarity in dress sense between the Irish Travellers and the cast of Jersey Shore?). I also watched a New Zealand movie called Hook, Line & Sinker and read Sarah Vowell's latest book about the history of Hawaii, Unfamiliar Fishes. Unfortunately I did not get much sleep. However, it is nice to be home, especially since today is my Mom's birthday.

Footy in Sydney

2011-08-21T22:49:00.065+10:00

Since I didn't have any solid plans for today, I joined Tash for the train ride out to ANZ Stadium at Olympic Park for the Sydney v. St Kilda footy match. I'm a bit embarrassed that this was my first footy game of the year (and not even an Essendon one). Before it started though there was an AFL International Cup match between South Africa and the USA, which the USA won!

Tash's friend Belinda joined us for the Sydney match. We were quite amused throughout the game as the big screens were used to explain the footy rules to the crowd as things happened on the field. I know rugby is the preferred sport outside of Victoria, but this was a bit ridiculous. The game was close, and although St Kilda led for most of the afternoon, Sydney won in the end (despite their inaccurate kicking). The final score:
Sydney Swans- 10.23 (83)
St Kilda Saints- 10.8 (68)

After the game we headed back into the city for a bit before catching the train out to the airport for our flight home. We spotted a few of the St Kilda players at the airport at Krispy Kreme of all places. We flew Tiger Airways back to Melbourne and I thought Tash was joking when she said their terminal was in a shed. Sadly she was telling the truth- it was comical. You even have to walk back to the main terminal to catch a taxi! In any case, it was a fun little weekend trip away and a brief preparation for my much longer flights to the States in a couple weeks time.

Gotye- Graphic Festival

2011-08-20T23:56:00.088+10:00

The main reason for our trip to Sydney was to see the animated album launch of Gotye's Making Mirrors at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, which was part of the Graphic Festival. We had pretty incredible seats in the fourth row with a great view of the stage and screens. The show started with Shaun Tan's Oscar winning animated short film The Lost Thing with a small group of musicians playing a live score.

After the stage was rearranged Gotye and his 10 piece mini-orchestra came out. They were lucky to make it after also getting caught up in the flight delays/cancellations in Melbourne this morning due to the fog. The set started with "Making Mirrors" and then launched into "Eyes Wide Open." Wally played nearly all of Making Mirrors and many of the songs had animations to accompany them. It made it hard to know where to look because you would get absorbed in the animations but also want to watch these songs being created live on stage by the musicians.

"State Of The Art" was my favorite clip of the show, directed and animated by Greg Sharp and Ivan Dixon at Rubber House.

Another great clip was for the song "Bronte," which was directed and animated by Ari Gibson at Mechanical Apple with background art by Jason Pamment.

The biggest reaction of the night was for the current number 1 single in Australia, "Somebody That I Used To Know." As the song reached the verse that is sung by Kimbra, we wondered if she would be there to sing it and she was! There were huge cheers when she walked on stage. The video for this song has become a huge viral hit worldwide.

Besides the songs from Making Mirrors, we also got a couple of classics from Like Drawing Blood: the haunting "Hearts A Mess" and "Learnalilgivinanlovin," which was the last song of the night. This show was amazing, and we are so happy for all the success that Wally is having at the moment. I'm sure the album is going to debut at number 1, and all his Australian shows for the tour have sold out in record time.

Bad Fog and Sydney

2011-08-20T23:43:00.085+10:00

Tash came and picked me up bright and early this morning to drive to the airport for our flight to Sydney. However, I knew we would be in a bit of trouble since the fog was so thick. As suspected our flight was delayed nearly 2 hours due to the "bad fog" (as one announcement called it) at Melbourne airport. We arrived in Sydney around noon and headed into the city to check into our secret deal hotel- The Grace Hotel with its beautiful art deco stylings and central location.

Tash headed off with her friends and I met up with Mel to hang out for the afternoon. We walked down to The Rocks where the weekend market was on and grabbed some gourmet wraps for lunch. Since the weather was so nice we went to eat along the harbour and chatted for a bit. After lunch we wandered around The Rocks market stalls and grabbed some yummy gelato for dessert. We then headed back into the city and checked out the Westfield Shopping Centre. Mel took me to this really awesome stationary store in there called Typo. I was good and didn't buy anything. We stopped for afternoon tea at Le Pain Quotidien (where I had an amazing fresh squeezed lemonade) and then said our goodbyes.

After resting for a bit at the hotel and watching the second half of the Essendon v. West Coast match (we lost), Tash and I walked to the harbour. We had dinner at The East Chinese Restaurant, grabbing a table outside along the water with excellent views of the Harbour Bridge. Their Mongolian lamb dish was very good. After eating we headed for pre-show drinks at the Opera Bar, meeting up with some of Tash's friends before heading inside the Sydney Opera House to see Gotye.

Liam Finn- FOMO Tour

2011-08-20T01:41:00.103+10:00

Tonight I headed to the Corner Hotel for Liam Finn's sold out show in support of his new album FOMO. The opening band was Evil J & Saint Cecilia (aka EJ Barnes and Cecilia Herbert). Throughout their set they swapped playing guitar and bass, and utilized a drum machine and sampled vocal loops to build the rhythm tracks to the songs. Their harmonies were very strong and most of the songs were more mellow and had a bit of atmosphere to them. I really liked "Silver Spoons" and they finished with "Strange Beast."

The next band of the night was Big Scary, who started their set with "Autumn." They played a mix of old and new songs as they have been busy in the studio recording their debut album. Highlights for me were "Apple Song," "Tuesday is Rent Day," "All That You've Got," "Falling Away" and "Mix Tape."

Liam Finn came out and began with an instrumental jam before launching into "I'll Be Lightning." For this tour Liam has a full band which includes his brother Elroy on drums and also EJ Barnes (who he toured with previously) on backing vocals and percussion. They played a mix of songs from both his albums. "Second Chance" received a big audience sing along, and new songs such as "Don't Even Know Your Name" (my favorite track off FOMO) and "The Struggle" sounded great. We even got "Plane Crash" from Liam and EJ's Champagne in Seashells EP. They finished the main set with an epic version of "Lead Balloon" and broke some of their gear in the process. For the encore they played "Jump Your Bones," and then Liam and EJ sang "Wide Awake on the Voyage Home." Unfortunately I had to leave half way through the song in order to catch the last tram to the city, but it was an amazing show and so much fun to watch Liam alternate between guitar and drums on stage.

Here is Liam's video for "Cold Feet"

Confessions

2011-08-10T22:43:00.004+10:00

Here is my confession. What is yours?

PS: My confession won the CD prize pack contest!

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Seeker Lover Keeper

2011-07-24T23:53:00.004+10:00

Tonight Tash and I ventured to the Thornbury Theatre to see Seeker Lover Keeper, the new band project of Sarah Blasko, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby. We had a good view of the stage from the balcony, as the floor area was full of tables and chairs for those who had dinner and show tickets.

Seagull opened up the evening with a half hour set. He played electric guitar and was accompanied by a female keyboardist. I wasn't sure how well he'd go down with the crowd, and people started talking after a couple songs. However it was good to hear older tracks such as "Dust Storm" and "Train Tracks," and he finished with "Company" off his Council Tree album.

Seeker Lover Keeper came out and began with "Bring Me Back" before bringing out their two male touring band members on drums and bass. This project has Sarah, Sally and Holly singing lead on songs that each other have written. They played the entire Seeker Lover Keeper album and highlights for me included "Even Though I'm A Woman," "Light All My Lights," "We Will Know What It Is," and the moving "If The Night Is Dark." Their harmonies were amazing and the musicianship great to watch as they switched off on piano and guitar. For the encore they came out and did covers of each other's solo material, including Sarah's "We Won't Run," and finished off the night with a cover of Stevie Nicks' "Wild Heart."

Here's the video for "Even Though I'm A Woman"

Dan Sultan and Alexander Gow

2011-07-10T19:23:00.108+10:00

When Dan Sultan and Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy) announced their tour together, Tash suggested we make a weekend of it and see them play in Castlemaine as she wanted to check out the Theatre Royal. Yesterday Mary and I drove to Ballarat to meet up with Tash and Michelle for lunch at a pub (also so Tash could watch the footy). It was good to briefly catch up with Michelle before she had to head down to Melbourne for a family dinner. After the footy match was finished we headed back to Tash's place where her work colleague Michelle met us and then we hit the road for Castlemaine.

Central Victoria is a bit of a foodie hotbed and we had a fantastic dinner at the Public Inn. They serve wine directly from the barrel and I had a delicious and filling potato gnocchi. After eating we headed to the Theatre Royal for the gig, and were let into the venue once the dining service was done for those who had tickets for dinner and the show. Both Dan and Alexander came out on stage at the start and played three songs together, including Icehouse's "Great Southern Land" and the Oh Mercy track "Keith St."

Dan left the stage and Alexander played his solo set on both acoustic and electric guitar. He started with "On The Run" and we got a mix of tracks from both albums: "Mercy Valley," "Hold Out Your Hand," "Blue Lagoon," "Lay Everything On Me," "Get You Back" and "Stay Please Stay." We were lucky enough to hear three new songs titled "My Man," "Europa" and "Lady Eucalyptus," as well as a few covers. Alexander was funny and charming throughout his set despite some rude, noisy people at the bar. He was also loving his eye drops, applying them a few times during the evening. He closed his set with Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street" so that he, like Dan, would have a song about cars in his set (although he didn't understand the first two verses of the song).

After an intermission Dan came out to play his solo set starting on piano and then switching to guitar. His grandmother was in the audience (at the table in front of us) and he told stories throughout the night about his time in Castlemaine with relatives while he was growing up. Dan played songs from his two albums, including "Old Fitzroy," "Enemy," "Get Out While You Can," "Nyul Nyul Girl" and a very powerful rendition of "Roslyn." He came back out for an encore of a couple of songs and then invited Alexander to rejoin him on stage. They finished the night with covers of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Hoodoo Gurus' "I Want You Back." It was a really great show, and I had a brief chat with Alexander afterwards. I thanked him for explaining the lyrics to "Mercy Valley," and since Oh Mercy will be in the States while I am there hopefully I'll be able to catch a show if the timing works out.

We headed out into the cold and hit the road to drive back to Ballarat. Mary and I stayed the night at Tash's miner's cottage (or the igloo as we called it before the heater kicked in) and then drove back to Melbourne this morning. It's always nice to go on a little road trip, especially when I don't have a car here.

Bridesmaids

2011-07-03T11:29:00.037+10:00

Last night Amrita, Claire and I went for dinner at Claire's restaurant Tin Pan Alley in Seddon (very good wood-fired pizzas and even more delicious desserts) and then headed to the gorgeous art deco Sun Theatre in Yarraville to watch the movie Bridesmaids. I had been wanting to see this film since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. Kristen Wiig plays Annie, a woman going through difficult times personally as her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) gets engaged and asks her to be the maid of honor. The rag-tag group of bridesmaids includes the ultra competitive Helen (Rose Byrne) who ultimately ends up taking over organizing the wedding. There are so many hilarious moments in this film that I was laughing to the point of tears several times. I almost think I need to go back and watch it again because I probably laughed through some of the punch lines. If you have the chance definitely go to see this film.

Little Red- All Mine Tour

2011-06-25T11:53:00.079+10:00

Last night I met up with Mary and her friend for dinner at HuTong Dumpling Bar (I still can't believe we managed to get a table) before heading to the Palace Theatre to see Little Red. The first act of the night was Passport for Amy, a young band that I found quite bland and boring. They were almost a paint by numbers style of emo guitar rock- not good. Next up was the new wave dance sounds of World's End Press. While a lot of their beats sounded like they were slight variations of an assortment of famous 80s/90s songs, the band members were energetic with their continuous dancing and sounded good overall.

Little Red began their set with album opener "Get a Life." Most of the songs played were off the Midnight Remember album, including "Slow Motion," "Lazy Boy," and current single "All Mine." During the rarely played "Chelsworth," Taka managed to fall off his bass drum into the left side of his drum kit (the first time I've ever seen that happen). We were privileged with two brand new songs and I was also happy to hear old favorite "Witchdoctor." As expected, their break out single "Rock It" got the biggest audience reaction of the night. I do wonder how the band view this song as it has been such an unlikely hit for them and has changed the type of audience they now attract. The boys finished their set with "It's Alright," and then came out and played "Coca Cola" for an encore, which was the final song for the night.

Here's the video for "All Mine" which was shot around Melbourne (including near my work):

Commencement Addresses

2011-06-18T18:44:00.002+10:00

It is graduation time in the United States, and universities compete with each other to get good commencement speakers. For my graduation from UC San Diego, they created an all-campus ceremony so that then President Bill Clinton could give a policy speech on diversity in the United States. Probably the most sought after speakers though are comedians. There were a couple good ones this year with Conan O'Brien giving the commencement address at Dartmouth, and Stephen Colbert at Northwestern University.

I would also like to offer my congratulations to the very first class of third graders that I taught, who graduated from high school this week. All the best for your futures.

Pajama Club

2011-06-15T23:54:00.070+10:00

I will admit I was a bit skeptical when I heard that Neil Finn was turning late night jam sessions with his wife Sharon into an album and side project called Pajama Club. However, when I heard a clip of their music, I got excited and feel that this could be one of the best things he's done in years. Pajama Club played just their fourth show ever tonight at the Corner Hotel. The opening act was young Byron Bay band Glass Towers who played a good set of catchy, indie guitar driven songs and reminded me a bit of Yves Klein Blue.

Pajama Club came out to big cheers from the nearly sold out crowd. The majority of the set consisted of songs off their upcoming album, which have a real groove to them. They sounded great and were sort of like Neil's grittier solo material in style. The only songs played in the set that had been previously released were the Finn Brothers track "Suffer Never", "Little by Little" off the last 7 Worlds Collide album, and "From a Friend to a Friend," which is their first single. I really enjoyed the show and if you get a chance to see Pajama Club live, go for it. After the gig I caught up briefly with Peter and Mark, and also saw Noel Crombie (Split Enz) and Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy) in the crowd.

The Pajama Club - 'From A Friend To A Friend' Teaser from Two Fish Out Of Water on Vimeo.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live

2011-06-11T18:03:00.046+10:00

When I was offered a free ticket to see children's tv show Yo Gabba Gabba! live on stage at the Palais Theatre this afternoon, how could I say no? It was the second of three shows they were doing today, and the audience was filled with parents and their young kids. The staging for the show was simple but effective with a large movable screen at the back and an open stage for characters to move and dance around on. DJ Lance Rock was exactly as he appears on tv (and is even like that in real life according to my friend). They did many of their well known songs, including "Name Game," "I Like to Dance," "Party in my Tummy," "Get the Sillies Out," "The Freeze Game" and "Bubbles" (complete with actual bubbles which had the kids going crazy in the aisles trying to pop them). Another reason I went was that Little Red was the Super Music Friends guest for the Melbourne shows. They sang their hit single "Rock It," which DJ Lance Rock liked. They also had Biz Markie there to do Biz's Beat of the Day, and he got some kids in the audience to do some beatboxing with him. Overall it was a very entertaining show, and Yo Gabba Gabba! is definitely one of the few tolerable children's shows on tv.

Boy & Bear- Autumn Tour

2011-05-28T13:36:00.061+10:00

Last night Mary and I met up for our usual dinner at Mexicali Rose before heading over to the Corner Hotel for the third sold out night (but first show on sale) of Boy & Bear's autumn tour. The first opening act was Brisbane singer-songwriter Emma-Louise, who was accompanied by a band. She has a soft and kind of ethereal voice and played mostly slower songs with a couple fast numbers. Overall she sounded good. Next up was Sydney band Jinja Safari, who impressed me very much. They have a fantastic energy on stage, and their songs are uplifing and full of Afro-Caribbean beats which reminded me a bit of Vampire Weekend. They are definitely a band to watch and were very entertaining.

Boy & Bear came out to big cheers from the sold out crowd. Their hour long set was an even mix of old songs and new ones from the album they have just finished recording, which sound great. We got to hear old favorites "Mexican Mavis," "Blood to Gold," and "Rabbit Song," as well as their amazing cover of Crowded House's "Fall at Your Feet." During their sound check in the afternoon an amp caught on fire and they thought it was the most rock and roll thing that has ever happened to them. One fan on Facebook coined the term "death folk" and at the end of the following song Dave had managed to break a guitar string. Despite the band's suggestion, no one started a circle pit on the floor. The final song of the night was their new single "Feeding Line." It was another wonderful show, and I have to give props to the people who dressed up like the "Rabbit Song" video- especially the guy in the tie cape.

Here's the brand new video for "Feeding Line"

Eurovision Song Contest

2011-05-15T23:22:00.001+10:00

This week has been the annual Eurovision Song Contest, which was won this year by Azerbaijan. However, my favorites were the following songs:

Denmark: "New Tomorrow" by A Friend in London

Serbia: "Čaroban" by Nina

Also, honorable mention goes to the sand artist who performed with the Ukraine (amazing):

Hungry Kids of Hungary- The Final Escapade Tour

2011-04-30T11:05:00.106+10:00

After surviving moving yesterday afternoon and getting some unpacking done, I headed out for the evening to meet up with Mary at the Hi-Fi Bar to see Hungry Kids of Hungary. When I arrived Andy Bull was nearing the end of his set. I would have been there earlier if I knew he was going to be second on the bill. The next band was The Chemist, who played a solid set. I recognized some of their songs from when I saw them play last year. Highlights included "Lullaby #1," End of July," "Things Have Changed" and the very rock ending to their set which included an extended jam that kept going and going.

Hungry Kids of Hungary entered the stage to death metal, which was quite funny. They bravely started their set with a new song before launching into "Scattered Diamonds." It was great to hear some of my favorites off Escapades including "China Will Wait," "Wristwatch," and "Coming Around." Besides another new song, we were also treated to "Last Waltz," a song they did with Andy Bull. As a side note, I think Dean and Andy had a little inside joke going on with their matching rolled up pants and boat shoes. The last song of the main set was an energetic "Let You Down." As is tradition, the encore began with a cover- this time it was Smashing Pumpkins' "1979." The final song of the night was their first big single "Set It Right." After this tour finishes the boys will disappear for a while to start working on material for their next album. I'm glad they have had so much success with Escapades and are really building up a following in Australia.

Moving House

2011-04-29T22:35:00.023+10:00

It all started with an ominous phone call a couple months ago from the real estate agents. The owners wanted to get the the property appraised. A few weeks later my fears were confirmed when I got another call saying that my apartment was being put up for private sale. Despite my hopes that an investor would buy it, I got my notice to vacate around the start of April. I spent a couple weeks looking at properties, including one Saturday where I went to five different inspections. There were a lot of people at many of the inspections, but thankfully I have found a decent place to live that is very close to my current apartment.

I spent the Easter holiday packing and picked up my keys today. I've already made a few walking trips to the new place bringing stuff over I don't really want to pack such as picture frames and food. Tomorrow is the big moving day and I have been finishing my packing tonight while watching a little thing called the royal wedding. I'm sad to be leaving my current place. I think it would be different if I had actually chose to move. This is the downside to renting- sometimes you don't have control over things.

Charlie Pickering- Rodeo, Burqa, Circumcision

2011-04-12T23:52:00.056+10:00

I said farewell to Ruth and Danny and then got in line for Charlie Pickering's show Rodeo, Burqa, Circumcision. Charlie did a solid set of stand-up for his hour long show. I learned some interesting things about him throughout the night. At the end of each episode of The 7pm Project, after Charlie signs off he draws a dick and balls on the news script. He is circumcised. And maybe most surprising of all, he has a great love for 90's era West Coast gangsta rap. My favorite bit of the show was about how he replaced the n-word with "fella" so he could sing rap songs out loud. His demonstration of this in a pseudo old timey voice was very funny.

Charlie also discussed people wanting to ban burqas and how everyone feels like an outsider at some point. He then told us about going to Afghanistan to do comedy for the troops and how he broke through the language barrier and bonded with an Afghan man while playing cricket by drawing a dick and balls in the dirt. If you only knew Charlie from his tv work the show may have been an eye opener, but I'm sure he found it refreshing to not be confined to the limits of his early evening tv time slots.

Lawrence Leung Wants a Jetpack

2011-04-12T23:38:00.013+10:00

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on once again this year. Ruth, Danny and I met up for dinner on Lygon Street before heading to the Trades Hall to see Lawrence Leung. In this show Lawrence is inspired by an old photo of his father, and wants to have ambition and purpose like his Dad did at his age. So he decides to give up his quest to make friends with an Ewok and aim higher- to fly.

Lawrence recounts that tv shows in the 80's talked about a future where people would travel around using jetpacks. He wants to be able to fly in a jetpack and starts his quest by contacting some of the few rocket men in the world, but they ignore his requests. So he finds a local guy who likes to tinker in his shed (a bogan MacGyver) and convinces him to build a jetpack. Unfortunately for Lawrence, it's made mostly out of lawnmower parts. They decide to try out their jetpack for the first time at the annual Birdman Rally along the Yarra River. The video of this was both frightening and hilarious to watch. Although Lawrence only lasted about 3 seconds in the air, he did win the George Abel Crafty Combinations award and some prize money, which he plans to use to buy stock in a NZ jetpack company. I really enjoyed the show and Lawrence's use of photos, animation, voice mail and video to tell the story.

Oh Mercy- Great Barrier Grief Tour

2011-04-09T11:24:00.072+10:00

Last night Mary and I met up at Mexicali Rose for dinner before heading to the Corner Hotel to see Oh Mercy's sold out show. The first band of the evening was The Ocean Party, who I have been wanting to see live for a while now. They had a good set of indie music with some standout tracks, and contained members of other bands that I saw at the Kins residency a few weeks ago.

Next up was Gossling (aka Helen Croome). Her songs and band were decent but I just couldn't get past her voice, which sounds like a chipmunk. It was like they had some sort of helium effect on the microphone, but no, it was her real voice. Very unfortunate.

Before Oh Mercy took the stage they played a very good selection of classic Aussie music over the PA while we waited. The band started their set with "Keith St" and then played my favorite song off Privileged Woes, "Broken Ears" next. We were very fortunate to hear all of the new album Great Barrier Grief played live. Highlights were "What You Do" with a great guitar solo by Simon, "Let Me Go," "Tenderness," and having Eliza sing lead vocals on "Doldrums." They finished the main set with "Stay Please Stay," and for the encore did a ripping cover of Leonard Cohen's "Memories" before finishing the night with "Lay Everything on Me." It's exciting to see them become more popular and to sell out the Corner was a great accomplishment.

Here's the video for the fabulous "Stay Please Stay"

Kins Residency

2011-03-24T23:54:00.097+11:00

Following a catch up dinner with Chantal after work I headed to the Builders Arms Hotel in Fitzroy to see the third date of Kins' March residency. The first act of the evening was The Removalists, which consisted of Liam Halliwell (The Ocean Party/Van Morrissey) playing guitar with a friend on bass along to backing music and samples from their computer. Their set was decent and the bass player told a funny story in between songs about his Oxford educated housemate who is trying to find himself. For the last couple songs they were joined by Jordan Thompson (also from the above mentioned bands) on vocals.

Next up was Seagull, who I haven't seen live in a while. Chris and his band played an all too short but excellent set of songs, mostly from his latest album Council Tree. Highlights included "Water," "Company" and "Grand Mother."

Kins is the new band of Thomas Savage (ex-Oh Mercy). The room was pretty full as they started the evening with "Fade Bird, Fade." The songs in the set were taken from their previously released singles and the upcoming LP Dancing Back & Forth, Covered in Whipped Cream. Thom's guitar playing was both impressive and gorgeous, especially on my favorite song "United Fate." Current single "Lake Troposphere" was another highlight, and they finished the night with the title track of the LP, which is due out in May. It appears that Kins is building some buzz around Melbourne, and I look forward to seeing how they progress.

Lake Troposphere from Kins on Vimeo.

Tim Minchin vs. the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

2011-02-25T23:53:00.072+11:00

Tonight I met up with Tash, her sister Jessie and Jessie's boyfriend Heath for dinner at Republica in the St Kilda Sea Baths before walking over to the Palais Theatre to see Tim Minchin versus the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Tim is traveling around the country and battling the local symphony orchestra in each city he plays (okay, it's not really a battle but they are playing along with him).

Tim started the evening with a big rock number about being in a cage (which he was), complete with an industrial strength fan and guitar solo. The show itself featured both old and new material as well as funny stories and intros in between songs. It was really good to hear old favorites such as "Rock 'n' Roll Nerd," "If I Didn't Have You" and "Prejudice." He covered the topic of religion with "The Pope Song" and a song about God curing Sam's mom's cataracts. Of the new stuff, "Content" was quite amusing as he clarified the half covered up lyrics he sang in the first go around, and "Lullaby" was a twisted take on getting your baby to sleep. The final song of the main set was a big production of the ever popular "Dark Side," and then Tim came back on to do an encore of my favorite song of his "Not Perfect." It's so exciting to see how successful Tim has become over the past few years and all the recognition he is receiving both in Australia and the UK.

Here is Tim performing "Lullaby" with the MSO on Ben Elton's recently cancelled show.

Up in the Air

2011-02-19T23:44:00.045+11:00

We left the hotel bright and early on Friday morning and watched the sunrise on our way to the airport. The first of my three flights was from Maui to Oahu, and thankfully Hawaiian Airlines checked my bags through to Sydney. In Honolulu, my flight was the first one to leave so my parents waited with me at the gate until it was time to go into the boarding area. It was so nice to be able to spend time with them this week. We said our goodbyes and they headed to their gate for the flight back to San Francisco.

Thankfully on my flight to Sydney I had no one sitting next to me so I was able to stretch out. After landing I got through customs pretty quickly and in fact spent longer waiting for the bus to get to the domestic terminal. I checked in at the Virgin Blue counter and then headed to the gate, but not before getting swabbed for explosives once again. This time I actually had a false positive, but they let me through after a second swabbing. The flight to Melbourne was non-eventful and after picking up my bag at baggage claim I was in a taxi and heading for home. It's been a very long day of flying, but at least I have tomorrow to recover before heading back to work on Monday.

Finally a Sunset

2011-02-17T22:11:00.048+11:00

Today was our last full day in Maui. We drove down to Kihei to wander around, and in order to satisfy my ongoing desire for decent Mexican food had lunch at Fred's Mexican Cafe, which was quite yummy and filling. We also stopped briefly at Maalaea Harbor before driving back to the resort.

Mom and I went to down to Ka'anapali Beach and finally got to watch a sunset, which has been impossible up until now because of the clouds at night the whole trip. The waves were strong along the beach and surfers were out in the water. Once the sun set I went for a quick swim in the pool before we headed back to our suite with dinner. All that's left to do is pack our bags as we will be off early in the morning for the airport.

Birthday Luau

2011-02-16T23:35:00.065+11:00

Happy birthday to me! Mom and I left Dad behind to relax at the resort while we went to Whalers Village to do some shopping. Mom wanted to pick up some souvenirs and gifts for family back home, and I finally found something to buy- a retro Pan Am Honolulu t-shirt from Malibu Shirts. We also checked out the whaling museum, which was quite informative about the whaling industry in the 1800s and the very hard life sailors faced on the ships.

In the evening we headed down to Lahaina to attend the Feast at Lele luau. We got a lei and mai tai cocktail as we entered the venue and had sit down table service by the beach for the entire night. Unfortunately it was cloudy once again, so we didn't get the sunset we were hoping for. There was Polynesian dancing from four islands to go along with each of the themed courses from Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa. The food was really good and since drinks were included in the price I took advantage and sampled various cocktails including a pina colada and blue Hawaii. For the dessert course they wrote happy birthday in chocolate on my plate and had a lit candle in one of the tarts. It was a great way to spend my birthday evening and we were very full by the end of it.

Chillaxing and Burning

2011-02-15T22:25:00.107+11:00

Today was finally a day of relaxation- our first since arriving in Hawaii. We headed down to the beach at midday and after a half hour came back up and found some lounge chairs and a bit of shade around one of the many pools on the grounds. I really like the design of the resort and the pool we were at flowed around in a bit of a circle and even had a little waterfall. We took turns going into the water and I also had a couple of stints in the hot tub. Although I did slather myself in sunblock and had a hat on I still got a bit sunburned. Around mid-afternoon we started to get hungry so we bought some lunch at the gourmet market and headed back to the suite to eat. I took a shower and moisturized my skin like crazy to hopefully prevent it from peeling in a few days.

We had dinner reservations at Duke's Beach House, which is the only restaurant located at the resort. The place was packed and we ended up with a waiter originally from the Bay Area. I ordered the ocean mile cocktail, which may have been the strongest drink I've ever had in my life (lots of rum and vodka). The food was good but not great and I found some of the dishes to be a bit heavy and fried. We were so full from dinner that we didn't even attempt dessert. The walk back to the suite was nice with the pathways being illuminated by flaming tiki torches.

Maui

2011-02-14T21:30:00.060+11:00

Today we were up bright and early to get to the airport for our flight to Maui. Since the flight was only 30 minutes long we were up in the air and then heading in for a landing soon after. It has been a bit of a driving day as we went from the airport in Kahului across the island and up the West Coast through towns along the Honoapiilani Highway.

Since we couldn't check in until later in the afternoon we had lunch in Lahaina and then drove along Front Street to check it out. We also headed further up the coast and stopped at lookout over Honolua Bay to see the view and watch the surfers in the water.

We are staying at the Honua Kai Resort and Spa at Kaanapali Beach in a one bedroom suite that's probably bigger than my apartment. I thought I would be on the sofa bed in the living room, but there is a second sofa bed in a little alcove area. My mom and I took a walk around the grounds at sunset before stopping at the gourmet market to pick up some dinner (and a couple organic cupcakes which were yummy). Tomorrow we plan to relax and lounge around poolside.

Pearl Harbor and the Krishnas

2011-02-13T23:02:00.105+11:00

This morning we drove out to Pearl Harbor to visit the USS Arizona Memorial. First we walked around grounds of the museum and visitor center, which had exhibits, outdoor displays and reflection areas about the lead up to the war and bombing at Pearl Harbor. When it was our time for the tour we went into the theater to watch a film on the history of the Pearl Harbor attack before taking the boat ride out to the memorial. The memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, which is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7, 1941 when their ship was bombed by Japanese Naval Forces. The memorial is very well done and quite peaceful.

After coming back to shore we made a quick stop at the gift shop before heading back to Honolulu. Mom and I dropped Dad off at the hotel and then went shopping for a couple hours at the Ala Moana Center. Surprisingly I didn't find anything to buy, although I did take advantage of the free wi-fi at the Apple Store.

For dinner we drove out to the Hare Krishna Temple to visit my aunt. She gave us a tour of the grounds while others were at Sunday service and then we joined everyone for the vegetarian feast dinner. It was nice to catch up with her and she gave us each beautiful leis that had been on the deities during the service (which smelled amazing). Here's a video of the Ratha Yatra they did in Honolulu a few weeks ago.

The Longest Day Ever

2011-02-12T23:52:00.097+11:00

After having no real breaks over the past year I decided to take my birthday week off and head to Hawaii for a vacation. I picked Hawaii because I've never been there before and it would allow people from home to potentially join me, which in this case was my parents. I spent Saturday finishing up my packing and then headed to the airport mid-afternoon for my flights to Sydney and then Honolulu. After flying all night I landed in Honolulu around 10 am on Saturday. My day had just begun (again). A couple hours later my parents' flight arrived and I met them in baggage claim. It was really nice to see them again as it had been over a year since my last visit home.

We picked up the rental car and then drove into Honolulu. We are staying at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, which is pretty nice. After taking a shower I headed out for a walk along Kalakaua Avenue to have a look at Kuhio Beach and Waikiki Beach as well as all the shops along the strip. I didn't really find anything to buy, but did have a peppermint bark ice cream cone from Haagen-Dazs, which was amazing.

I returned to the hotel to get dressed for our dinner at a the very upscale French restaurant Michel's at the Colony Surf. We met up with a friend of my parents who had chosen this place as it's one of his favorites. We had a table overlooking the beach as well as a view of downtown. The food and service were excellent and they had a special menu since it was Valentine's Day weekend. It was a very enjoyable evening and a great finish to our first day in Honolulu.

Flash Flooding Fun

2011-02-04T23:18:00.004+11:00

Australia has really been getting hit by the natural disasters lately- flooding in Queensland and other states and Far North Queensland getting hit by Cyclone Yasi earlier in the week. Today Melbourne was once again hot and very humid throughout the day. Chantal and I headed out to dinner and grabbed a table outside under an umbrella. I had a feeling it would rain and boy was I right. What started as a downpour turned into a complete deluge as it just bucketed down and everyone ran for cover. There were huge flows of water down Bourke Street as the CBD got 17mm/0.7 inches of rain in 20 minutes from the remnants of Cyclones Anthony and Yasi. Of course this resulted in flash flooding throughout the city. What's scary is that this weather is scheduled to continue and could be worse tomorrow.

Icecream Hands Reunion

2011-01-30T10:47:00.039+11:00

Last night Ruth, Danny and I headed to Northcote for the evening. We started with dinner at Otsumami on High Street, which is sort of like a Japanese tapas place. We shared a few dishes and it was very good. After a wander around High Street we had dessert at Delphi Continental Cakes and then headed to a bar where one of Ruth's friends was having an engagement party (and we got to watch the second half of the Australian Open women's final).

The next stop was the Northcote Social Club where Icecream Hands were reuniting for one night to play their entire 1999 album Sweeter Than The Radio from start to finish. This is probably my favorite album of theirs, and it was especially fantastic to hear "Spiritlevel Windowsill," "Dodgy," "Yellow & Blue," and "Giving It All Away." There was a big crowd sing-along for their hit single "Nipple." You would never know that they haven't played together in a few years as they sounded great. The encore consisted of two covers and then it was all over. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to get some more shows like this in the future.

Here's a clip of Icecream Hands on Hey Hey, It's Saturday back in the day playing "Spiritlevel Windowsill"

Happy Australia Day

2011-01-26T22:52:00.062+11:00

Today is my first Australia Day as an Australian citizen. Ruth and Danny were kind enough to invite me over this afternoon for a BBQ, which is a very traditional way of celebrating. It was also an excuse for them to christen their new barbecue. We had a lovely spread of food, including some kangaroo while listening to the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown.

In the evening I headed down to the Vibe Hotel Carlton to help out Clinton with the 22 Chinese Language Assistants he had picked up from the airport. Okay, I really went because I got a free dinner. In any case, the funniest thing was that as we sat down to dinner, Clinton introduced me and the Language Assistants broke out into applause. A chatted to a few of them during dinner, and one girl said the 12 hour flight from Beijing was her first time on an airplane. They will have two days of orientation and then go off to their respective school placements and home stays around the state.

Gotye- The National Theatre

2011-01-14T23:37:00.024+11:00

After work I met up with Tash and Mary in the city and then we drove down to St. Kilda to see Gotye (aka Wally De Backer) play a sold out show at The National Theatre. Opening the evening was Tash Parker, who played a solo set on both acoustic and electric guitar with the occasional pre-recorded loop thrown in. She has a great voice and Wally joined her for a couple of songs, including a duet that they wrote together.

Gotye took the stage to large cheers and began his hour long set with the new single "Eyes Wide Open." For this show Wally had two other musicians accompanying him while he played drums and his sampling keyboard. Most of the songs during the evening were from the album Like Drawing Blood, including "Coming Back," "Hearts A Mess," and "Thanks For Your Time" which had a brilliant bit in the middle about being on hold to Vodafone. We got three new songs that sounded fantastic, a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" with just Wally on the piano, and "The Only Thing I Know" from his first album Boardface. Wally finished his set with "Learnalilgivinanlovin" and received a standing ovation from the crowd. It's good to have Gotye back on the Melbourne music scene and I look forward to the release of his new album (whenever that may be).

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:18:00.043+11:00

After a half day at work and a brief respite from the 40/104 degree heat I headed into the city to meet up with Chantal and her cousin and friends for a lovely New Year's Eve dinner at Seamstress on Lonsdale Street. They had a 7 course degustation menu with the option of wine matching with each course. Here is what we ate:

Peking duck consomme with shaved green lip abalone and quad of poached Chinese mushrooms
Pan seared wild harvest scallop stuffed with tailor made XO on poached iceberg lettuce
Swallowed clouds... poached won tons of snake bean and golden sweet kaukau with green pea puree, coriander foam and flying fish roe
Terrine of pork hock and oolong tea smoked duck with pickled watermelon
Hiramasa kingfish carpaccio with young coconut, lime and pomegranate dressed in snow pea tendrils
Cleansing parsley and lemon sorbet
Crisp fried five spice quail, salad of fresh garden herbs, cucumber julienne and pink ginger
Ponzu marinated wagyu and twice cooked pork belly served with drunken potatoes and gai larn
Petit fours and coffee

The food was amazing and just the perfect amount over the few hours we were there. My favorite courses were the won tons and the quail. After we finished eating it was very close to midnight so we rushed outside just in time to see bits of the fireworks show that were happening along the Yarra River. We wandered for a bit around the city and down to Federation Square before heading home. Happy New Year to you all and may 2011 live up to and exceed your expectations.

Presents Everywhere

2010-12-30T22:47:00.032+11:00

Christmas may have come and gone, but due to the post office my Christmas keeps continuing. The box of presents from my parents finally arrived on Wednesday, chock full of little surprises including lots of excellent kitchen gadgets, See's Candies, local calendars, and a personalised Christmas stocking and ornament. Then today I picked up a box from the post office from my aunt, which included a festive blouse and a hand sewn apron from my cousin Leilani. The apron may be my favorite gift ever- it's so cute! I can't wait to wear it while baking, but that will be well after all the See's Candies is gone from my cupboard.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-26T23:05:00.148+11:00

Since I was not going to fly home for the holidays, Clinton invited me to join his family's celebrations this weekend in Rosebud, which is about an hour and half south-east of Melbourne. The boys picked me up and we drove down around noon on Christmas Day. His family were very welcoming and even had little Christmas presents for me (which was nice because my presents from home are currently MIA and likely stuck in customs). I brought some snowball cookies to contribute to the meal and a bottle of wine, which turned out to a favorite of Clinton's father.

The weather was warm but not too hot and the backyard tables were festively decorated. Various family members stopped in and joined the celebrations throughout the afternoon. We had so much food to eat starting with chips, dip, cheese and crackers. We then had prawns, barbecue steak, sausage, shish kebabs, coleslaw and potato salad. On top of all this food Clinton's brother, who is a bartender, was mixing drinks and made sangria as well as various fruit daiquiris. After digesting the late afternoon lunch we ate Clinton's pavlova and my cookies for dessert. There were lots of funny stories about growing up in Rosebud and we played a few games. It was a nice evening.

Today we woke up to some rain, but it managed to clear by early afternoon. Since I haven't ever explored the Mornington Peninsula before, Clinton's parents took us for a bit of a drive around the area. We started with a walk in Arthurs Seat State Park with its great views of Port Phillip Bay and the Seawinds Garden, which contains several sculptures by William Ricketts. The chairlift to the summit isn't working, but Clinton, Kevin and I took a picture on "Arthurs Seat." We next drove down to Point Nepean Road and through the various seaside towns on the way to Sorrento to visit Clinton's brother, who was working. We took a walk along the front beach and out onto one of the piers. After some fish and chips at the restaurant we headed back to Rosebud and then packed up the car for the drive back to Melbourne. It was such a lovely weekend and a great way to spend the Christmas holiday.