The autumn* 2012 edition of The West End Magazine is out now and includes 6 articles written by me. It’s delivered free to homes in the 4101 post code and available to buy at West End News, Westside Story News, West End Markets Newspower and South Bank Newsagency.
*Southern hemisphere autumn
I’m very proud to have three articles in the latest edition of the beautiful and shiny West End magazine. If you’re lucky enough to live in Brisbane’s 4101 post code it will be delivered to your home for free. If not, you can purchase it at the following newsagencies – West End News, Westside Story News, West End Markets Newspower and South Bank Newsagency. For those further away I will try and get copies of my articles up on the blog at a later date.
I went to the Ekka on Saturday, or the Royal Queensland Show to give it its proper title. Though no one ever calls it that. It used to be called the Brisbane Exhibition. That got shortened to Exhibition, which then got shortened to Ekka. Australian’s are very busy people. They don’t have time to waste saying full words. Continue Reading
Mel Gibson gives a touching performance in this heartfelt and intriguing story, directed by Jodie Foster. He plays Walter Black, a severely depressed man. Therapy, medication and self-help books have failed to cure him.
When his long-suffering wife Meredith (Jodie Foster) finally kicks him out he fully intends to kill himself, but the discovery of a beaver hand puppet in a dumpster miraculously gives him a new lease of life.
This film can be disconcerting to watch as Walter assumes a cockney accent and requests people address the beaver rather than speak to him. It’s clear from early on the beaver can’t be a long-term solution to Walter’s problems. You want to believe it’s the spark he needs to drag himself out of his melancholy, but you start to fear that rather than being a sign of recovery, the beaver is a symptom of Walter sinking deeper into psychosis.
The Beaver is film that at times will have you laughing out loud at the ridiculousness of it, but also does not shy away from the awful heartbreak of mental illness, both for the person affected and the people who love them.
If you’re in Brisbane I highly recommend picking up a copy of Scene Magazine this week. It’s a really good read. And contains some album reviews by me.
I’ve recently returned from what many people would class as “paradise”. A place with hot sunny weather, white sandy beaches and warm clear seawater teaming with tropical fish. Perfection right? Well let me tell you, nowhere is ever perfect. Continue Reading
Facebook is great for putting a shout out for travel advice before you head off on a trip somewhere. That’s exactly what I did before leaving for Bangkok and one of the suggestions I got (thank you Aida) was to check out the night flower market Pak Khlong Talat.
The market is located on Chak Phet Road but spills out into the adjoining side streets and alleyways.
From what I can gather it’s actually active 24 hours a day but is busiest at night. It’s the perfect place for an after dinner wander.
Patrick and I let ourselves get lost, soaking in the sights and smells of hundreds and hundreds of colourful fresh-cut blooms being sold in bundles, bags, garlands and more formal arrangements. At one point we strayed into a large fluorescent-lit warehouse where people were packing flowers at long workbenches. No one seemed to mind us ambling through.
The market also sells fresh fruit and vegetables and is a great place to test your tropical fruit knowledge. Mine isn’t as good as I would have hoped, but I have discovered a love for mangosteen.
Maybe it gets more hectic at other times, but when we were there, the atmosphere was very relaxed. Some of the stallholders were eating dinner, or having a snooze, keeping their energy levels up for the long nights work that still lay ahead.
We saw very few other tourists. I suppose it’s because fresh fruit and flowers aren’t easily packed in a suitcase, much to Patrick’s dismay. With a dozen long-stemmed red roses selling at less than $2 a pop he would have liked to stock up for Valentines Day for the next ten years!
I’m in Thailand (because I’m a total jetsetter don’t ya know) and it appears they do haircuts on train station platforms here.
I’m not sure if they were fully-qualified hairdressers. Maybe this is just where they train.
Brisbane’s recent Paniyiri Greek Festival…..
Crowds, dancing, food, more food, funfair, music (specifically Zorba’s Dance, on repeat), even more food (specifically honey puffs. Little honey-injected deep-fried nuggets of doughnutty goodness. Totally healthy) and me, attempting to steal a chicken from the children’s petting zoo.
I’ve just added a new link to my “sites I like” list over on the right.
If you haven’t already clicked on the link to find out for yourself, let me tell you a bit more about it….
It’s written by my total drama queen (I mean that as a compliment) of a sister Jessi. The blog is all about theatre. She’s already got a review, some interesting thoughts on the price of theatre tickets, challenges for you the reader and a bit about her own theatre work for you to peruse.
I know I’m slightly biased, but I’ve already been educated and entertained by her posts, so I encourage you to get on over there for a look.
Leah Carri 