Better than Cheesecake

Weird American Traditions #1: Halloween

2007-10-31T15:51:00.000+11:00

"Happy Halloween y'all!"

...is what I'd be saying if I was American.

As I'm an Aussie, Halloween usually slips by without me even noticing it.

We just don't do Halloween here.

While pretty much every other aspect of our culture is Americanised, trick-or-treaters we ain't.

The only American tradition more foreign to me is Thanksgiving. At least I understand the Halloween concept. All I know about Thanksgiving is that it involves turkeys and cranberry sauce... and maybe pilgrims. Does it involve pilgrims?

When I was a wee lassie* my friends and I made a couple of half-arsed attempts at trick-or-treating. If we bothered to dress up at all, it wasn't particularly inspired. I seem to remember wetting a green m-and-m and using it like a lipstick, which turned us into 'witches'. When we trawled the Mont Albert streets door-knocking, every single house we visited was unaware it was Halloween. So we scored:

a) nothing
b) muesli bars, or
c) money!

The latter was pretty sweet. Gold coins go a long way when you're eleven.

This year, the only indication I've had that All Hallows Eve is upon up is a small, hastily-put-together stand in my local supermarket with some masks and fake teeth. It was far outshadowed by the Christmas display anyway. Which is so necessary in October.

The only reason I remembered it was Halloween today is because there was a lady on my morning tram dressed entirely in black wearing an enormous black witches hat. I have to admire her dedication to the cause. If I had been off to an early-morning Halloween party(?) I think I would have carried my hat with me, not worn it.
That said, she did get off at the Royal Children's Hospital stop, so perhaps her everyday job is to dress up as a witch and scare the little kiddies! At least that's what I thought in my early morning daze.**

Anyhoo, here's a picture of Jake Gyllenhaal in my favourite movie-featuring-a-Halloween-scene Donnie Darko. (Second favourite: Meet Me In St. Louis.) You can come to my 'Halloween party' anytime, Jakey.

*And Scottish, apparently!

** OK, so it was 10am. But I'm a full-time student in the middle of the exam period. 10am is like the middle of the night to me.

Hot guys 3: smart, nerdy Jewish guys.

2007-07-21T14:06:00.000+10:00

I'm still getting requests for more of these posts. It might have to become a regular feature!

I've got a bit of a thing for smart, nerdy, slightly neurotic Jewish guys of the Woody Allen variety.

I'm not sure why. It could relate back to high school, where my favourite teacher was a smart Jewish guy. I wouldn't say he was 'hot' though. If I remember correctly, he was a Rabbi, and he reminded me more of Teyve from Fiddler on the Roof than Woody Allen.

All together now:

If I were a rich man,
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
All day long I'd biddy biddy bum.
If I were a wealthy man.
I wouldn't have to work hard.
Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.
If I were a biddy biddy rich,
Yidle-diddle-didle-didle man.

Maybe it's because through my knowledge of pop culture, I link smart, nerdy Jewish guys to New York City, which is the place I'd like to visit the most in the entire world.

Or perhaps it's because I see this type of guy as unattainable. I'm a shiksa - a non-Jewish woman - and traditionally, children have to have a Jewish mother to be considered Jewish. Which is quite a strong reason for Jewish men to marry Jewish women.

I haven't completely given up hope though. Kristina Grish has written a whole book about shiksas dating Jewish guys, Boy Vey! The Shiksa's Guide to Dating Jewish Men.

Anyway, enough about my idiosyncrasies, on to the pictures!

Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything is Illuminated. That first picture is great; he looks like he could be a librarian! And then I could work with him... And then we could find a quite corner of the history stacks...

Sorry, I'm getting off track.

Danny Katz. Danny Katz is hilarious. I love his columns in The Age and when he answers the reader questions in the Good Weekend. His columns often make mention of his beloved, whom I believe is a shiksa. There's hope for me yet!

John Safran. I like how outspoken and opinionated he is. The interplay between him and Father Bob Maguire on shows like Sunday Night Safran is gold.

Woody Allen. There's just something about him.

Thinking about this type of guy, it's probably their intelligence that makes them sexy, rather than their looks. Which is probably a downfall for a largely pictorial blog entry.

Still, as a single girl who is in a period of exploring what and whom I find attractive, I have to admit these guys do it for me.

Intelligence is a very sexy quality.

Link: Jewlicious

*Update*

For Stef:

David Krumholtz. Hot Damn!

Would the penalty have been as harsh if he'd been a white Australian? It's doubtful.

2007-07-17T19:38:00.000+10:00

The culture of fear is alive and well in Australia.

Not only is the Sydney Lord Mayor advocating residents prepare an emergency kit for any potential terrorist attacks, a man will be placed in a detention centre, then eventually deported because he gave his SIM card to his cousin. The cousin was then involved in the recent terrorist activity in London.

There had better be more to it than that. If all he did was hand his cousin a SIM card, we're probably all potential terrorists.

As Ron Hyndman wrote in today's letters to the editor in The Age:

OK, I confess. I recklessly loaned my phone to someone I didn't know well. I also recklessly stopped to help a woman whose car had broken down. Then I recklessly paid for a man's lunch when he couldn't do so himself. Any one of them could have been a terrorist. I plead guilty.
Please lock me up. I'm a danger to society. I'd rather die in prison for reckless acts of kindness than live a free man in a country where love, mercy and compassion are outlawed.

*Update* There is a great opinion piece about the issue by Julian Burnside here.

P.S. Like Burnside's style? Come join us at the Facebook group, Julian Burnside is the thinking woman's crumpet.

P.P.S. Not interested in the Burnside group? Alternatively, let me bite you on Facebook and turn you into a zombie!

Link: Let's get ready Sydney!

A new direction for BTC?

2007-07-14T12:22:00.002+10:00

I'm on Myspace, Facebook, and I keep a blog (obviously). Much as I love the social interactivity and the creative space of the internet, sometimes I wonder about my increasing dependence on it. I feel the need to check my email every single day, even though I don't have a computer at home. Myspace is slowly becoming one of my primary methods of communication with people.

For the most part, I think the internet is a positive development. Social networking through Myspace and blogging can increase links with people in your immediate circle of friends and across the world. Yet sometimes I question the pull I feel to 'exist' online. Why do I feel the need to have my name come up when 'Susanne Newton' is entered in Google?

I enjoy blogging because I like to write, and to create something that is of interest to other people. I like the way words can be constructed and edited before they are put out into the world, in a way that can't be done with face-to-face communication. How the words you write are kept there in print; rather than being lost in face-to-face conversation. Recorded for prosperity.

In internet communication, there is a distance between the writer and the reader; a screen between us. Yet there is also a closeness and intimacy that can be reached through blogging, a cerebral element. I have never met many of the people whose blogs I read, and who read this blog, yet I know what they think about, what they are interested in. Perhaps the distance of the screen allows bloggers to be personal and intimate in a way that might not come so easily face-to-face.

These days I'm more confident than I used to be, and more of my communication is direct, face-to-face. Perhaps I don't need to blog as much as I used to.

For the most part, I shy away from getting too personal on this blog. I use my real name, and real-life friends read it. Strangely, if the blog was anonymous, I would be more open in my writing. From now on, I will try to put a bit more of my self into this blog. What have I got to lose?

Hot guys 2: the sampler box

2007-06-29T17:10:00.000+10:00

The Cheesecake readers have called for more Beefcake!

So, ladies (and gentlemen of a certain persuasion), I present Hot guys 2: the sampler box.

Due to the perceived homogeneity of the last lot, I've aimed for a wider variety of hotness, and responded to reader requests, which were mainly for pictures of the hotness that is Christian Bale.

Here you go kids:

As requested by Stef, Sharnee and Audrey, Christian Bale:

As requested by Rosanna, Colin Firth

As requested by Audrey, Jeffrey Dean Morgan:

I'm not sure who this guy is, but I like his beard.

And, as chosen by moi:

Ryan Reynolds. I don't usually go for blonde guys, but I'll make an exception here.

Oh. My. God. He should like, never wear a shirt.

Beyond being the epitome of hotness, Reynolds is also very funny, and a blogger who uses words like "mental temerity". I'm also impressed by the fact that he dated Alanis Morissette rather than some vapid Hollywood starlet. Le sigh.

More to come next week...

Hot guys!

2007-06-20T20:07:00.000+10:00

Enjoy.

James Franco. I used to be a Tobey Maguire girl, but James Franco is looking so damn good these days, I'm going over to the dark side.

Milo Ventimiglia

Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jon Cryer as Duckie Dale. I'm a sucker for a boy in unrequited love.

Clive Owen. I love a strong jawline.

The Swingers Boys. There are so many cute swing boys in this movie. I have to watch it again. Vince Vaughn is pretty sexy, but I've always been a Mikey girl (unrequited love, remember?)

Mark Ruffalo. He looks extra cute in glasses in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Hot chicks!

2007-06-12T20:27:00.000+10:00

AfterEllen.com has just put out a great list of 100 girls that chicks find hot, to counter the dominant Maxim Hot 100 style listings. To make the list, it helped immensely if you starred on The L Word, or if you were a woman that other women "admire as well as desire".

Here's a few of my favourite ladies from their Hot 100 list:

11. Eliza Dushku

The hotter Vampire Slayer to Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy; the hotter cheerleader to Kirsten Dunst's Torrance, Eliza Dushku is just plain hot. She was even hot as Tru in the rather odd "I see dead people" television show Tru Calling. Check her out in a catsuit in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and tell me you wouldn't turn for her.

32. Lauren Graham

Ok, I confess, The Gilmore Girls is one of my all-time favourite television shows, and Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore definitely fits the criteria of being someone I'd like to be like (as well as being a total MILF).

38. Jessica Alba

Sin City. No further explanation needed.

42. Drew Barrymore

She's cute and she looks like she'd be great to hang out with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure she's at least a little bit bi, too.

45. Maggie Gyllenhaal

Is it wrong to lust after both her and Jake Gyllenhaal? My god they're a hot family.

56. Kristen Bell

I don't know if I'd actually want to be Veronica Mars. I admire her sassiness, but I don't know if I could be bothered being a straight-A student, solving crimes and being generally disliked by most people I interacted with. Still, I think Kristen Bell plays the role really well, I like her clothes, and she's a vegetarian to boot.

58. Rachel McAdams

She's just so damn cute in The Notebook.

71. Stockard Channing

I'm probably more of a Sandy Olsen type (blonde, blue eyes, people are surprised when I swear...), but I always wanted to be a Rizzo. Effortlessly sexy.

80. Sara Ramirez

So much hotter than skinny Ellen Pompeo on Grey's. Those curves!

95. Susan Sarandon

I just re-watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show recently, and while Dr Frank-N-Furter is sex in that movie, Susan Sarandon's Janet Weiss is gorgeous as well. She's still really pretty all these years later:

You can access the full set of pictures here.

Le sigh.

Thought for the day, aka more Paul Bowles goodness

2007-05-21T10:21:00.001+10:00

For Audrey. My condolences, lovely girl.

Death is always on the way, but the fact that you don't know when it will arrive seems to take away from the finiteness of life. It's that terrible precision that we hate so much. But because we don't know, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.

-Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

2007-05-18T15:23:00.000+10:00

Going more slowly, he continued. He had brought with him some figs, which he now pulled out and devoured. When he had followed the river's complete turning, he found himself facing the sun in the west, looking up a small valley that lay between two gently graded, bare hills. At the end was a steeper hill, reddish in colour, and in the side of the hill was a dark aperture. He liked caves, and was tempted to set out for it. But distances here were deceptive, and there might not be time before dark; besides, he did not feel the necessary energy inside him. 'Tomorrow I'll come earlier and go up,' he said to himself. He stood looking up the valley a little wistfully, his tongue seeking the fig seeds between his teeth, with the small tenacious flies for ever returning to crawl along his face. And it occurred to him that a walk through the countryside was a sort of epitome of the passage through life itself. One never took the time to savour the details; one said: another day, but always with the hidden knowledge that each day was unique and final, that there never would be a return, another time.

-Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky

Today I've been taking life slowly and savouring the details. Savouring the rain that may help stave off stage four water restrictions in our drought-ravaged city. Walking from my house to Sydney Road and spending the whole morning op-shopping. Slowly making my way through the culinary delights of Brunswick: this morning it was El-Faiha sweets; last time it was cannoli ricotta from Pasticceria Italia (my first cannoli ever!).

I may not have a lot of money, but when you can walk home with a bag full of op-shop gems and Lebanese treats from Sydney Road, with change from your twenty dollar note left in your pocket, who needs it?

Logies 2007 Fashion Wrap-Up

2007-05-09T15:34:00.000+10:00

This year's batch of Logies frocks in one word: uninspiring.

Ah, the Logies. Australian television's night of nights; or, should I say, the night when Australia's top c-grade celebrities and a couple of imported f-grade American celebrities come together to celebrate the remnants of the Australian television industry: McLeod's Daughters, Rove Live and a couple of soapies and lifestyle shows.

If the Logies is anything to go by, the Australian television industry is remarkably homogenous. So many thin blonde women. So many young starlets who I can barely tell the difference between since I don't watch Home and Away or Neighbours.

Case in point: apparently the person on the left of the above shot, 'Pippa Black', is a different person to the 'Eliza Taylor-Cotter' of the next shot. Can you tell the difference between then? I'm certainly struggling.

Jessica Alba looked pretty, but the girl could look stunning in a paper bag.

Avril Lavigne was her typical monosyllabic, underdressed self.

Green seemed to be the colour of the night. I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the dresses though.

Natalie Blair

Kate Ritchie

Catriona Rowntree

The award for worst dressed of the night wasn't a hard decision. I'm singling out Nicky Whelan for this hideous floral ensemble. It doesn't look that bad from this angle, but trust me, it is that bad.

Michala Banas had an equally horrible dress on, but I seem to locate a photo of it. Perhaps all the photographers were too horrified to click their cameras when they saw her outfit.

Runner up for worst dressed is Natalie Saleeba. She looks a bit like a tiered wedding cake.

As for the best dressed of the night, it's a tough call. There were plenty of nice frocks out there, but they were all kind of boring.

So just because they dressed a little differently, I'm giving props to Tania Zaetta for wearing a sari...

... and to Jeanne Little for being her own crazy self in a boring television world. Forget the Gold Amercian Express dress, here's the next big thing: Frill-neck lizard stylin's, brought to you by Mix FM.

The I-have-no-idea-what-to-say-about-this award goes to Sandra Sully. Anyone want to help me out here? I can't decide if I hate it or like it. Maybe she thought the night had a Strictly Ballroom theme?

The WTF award goes to Megan Gale and Andy Lee for being the odd couple of the century. He looks ok in this picture, but really, how on earth did this man score Megan Gale?

.

I. Just. Don't. Get. It.

You've got to feel a little sorry for Anna Jennings-Edquist, girlfriend of Hamish Blake. She looked nice, but standing next to the Amazon that is Megan Gale she just looked... really short.

On a final note, I think ~~Sally~~ Kate Ritchie looks really pretty here, and deserves congratulations for winning the Gold Logie. Australia's little girl is all grown up!

Til next year! Well, if there are any Australian shows left by then.

Metablogging.

2007-05-01T20:06:00.000+10:00

Toothpaste for Dinner

It is kind of amazing when you think about it. How we can cross international borders so easily and peek into each other's lives from across the screen.

I'm back! Anyone still here? Tumbleweed blows through the ghost town that is Better than Cheesecake

2007-04-27T14:32:00.000+10:00

So tell me, dear reader, does absence make the heart grow fonder? Have you missed me?

Actually, don't answer that. Back when I was blogging regularly I found it exceedingly frustrating when a favourite blog had the same old entry sitting up there for ages. I know regular updates are absolutely essential to a good blog, and are a big part of what makes blogs like Perez Hilton and Reasons You Will Hate Me so successful.

So, once again, my apologies for the length between drinks.

Remember the last post? Where I wrote about how I felt like my whole life was up in the air? Well I've been busy sorting it all out. For the better.

And I'm really happy with where I'm at.

Thailand was amazing. I trekked through the hills of Northern Thailand with Intrepid Travel, staying with local hill tribes in their villages. While most of the journey was on foot, we also travelled by elephant, and by bamboo raft along the river. I felt in my element throughout the trek, managing to keep pace with the boys and carrying my load without complaint.

The only time I felt out of my element was when we returned to Chiang Mai and visited a local nightclub. I had forgotten how much I loathe nightclubs. The pounding music, the strobe lights, the sleaziness... Give me the jungle any day.

The other girls in my group felt the opposite way. On the trek they made the guides carry their packs, and fretted about how they looked without make-up. They were in their element back at the nightclub, with their high heels, their 'bling', their solarium tans.

I think I'm more girly then I used to be. I wear red lipstick sometimes, and I like dresses and skirts and stockings, but I'm also proudly not a girly-girl. It's not something I notice so much in my urban existence, but being out in the wild brings it back home.

Since returning to Melbourne, everything has been falling into place.

Things ended with the boy I was seeing about as amiably as you could ask for about a month ago. Girls, here's a life lesson that took me about five months to figure out:

If he doesn't want to be your boyfriend, you can't make him want to be your boyfriend.

It's been a while since I've been properly single. I'm pretty fine with it though. I've been busy going out lots, and...

...moving to Brunswick! I really like it there so far. You can still rent there quite cheaply too. As my waiter at the lovely El Mirage cafe (pictured right) mentioned recently, a lot of younger people are moving here now that they can't afford Fitzroy.

And I'm in good company- I just read that Labor-Party-Great-Hope Julia Gillard lived in a share house in Brunswick when she first moved to Melbourne.

As for the 'what to do after an Arts degree' dilemma, I've decided to become a librarian! It feels like the right choice. I wanted a professional career, but I didn't want to teach, and it relates to my undergraduate major of English lit. I'll be qualified by the end of the year.

So that's my life. Sorted.

Thanks so much for sticking with this blog guys, even while it's been so sporadic. All 20,000 of you!

Surely you're not still reading this thing?

2007-02-07T21:36:00.000+11:00

Why hello there dear reader. How are you? Happy New Year to you! What's that you say? It's February already? Oh. Never mind.

Despite the seeming evidence to the contrary, I am still alive.

I suppose the reason I haven't felt the blogging urge in the last month or two is because I feel like my entire life is up in the air at the moment.

I have absolutely no idea where I'll end up this year.

Since it's already February, you'd think I'd have some idea by now, but I don't.

My love life, my home life, my work life... all up in the air.

So what's my solution?

I'm escaping. I'm leaving the country!

Ok, so I'm heading to Thailand for a couple of weeks. That counts, right?

I don't know what to do about so many things.

I don't know what to do about the new boy. Sometimes it's really, really good between us; sometimes it's just ok. And while I like him a lot, I'm not sure how he really feels about me.

I don't know what to do about work. I'm not really interested in the jobs that are out there, and I am now at the point of having to face what I've avoided thinking about for a very long time- that an Arts degree is virtually useless in the job market.

I don't know if I should remain vegetarian. I still agree with vegetarianism is principle, but if I have to take iron tablets to remain healthy, is it really worth it?

I don't even heart The O.C. anymore! It's going downhill fast. I couldn't even sit through the whole episode last night. At least Veronica Mars is still good. Although I have no idea how Veronica manages to hold down a job, do really well at school, have various boyfriends and solve all the crimes in Neptune without being a superhero.

I don't know if I'll keep blogging. I plan to. I do love it, you know. Even if I have been away for a while.

So that's what's happening with me at the moment.

Nothing.

Everything.

I might end up on the dole. I might leave Melbourne and go teach English in Japan.

Who knows?

I suppose it'll all work out as it's supposed to. I think I'll just let this year happen and see where it takes me.

I don't really know what else I can do.

I heart The O.C.

2006-12-03T19:25:00.000+11:00

It's been over two weeks since I posted already?

Where have I disappeared to, you ask?

Well, without revealing too much, there might just be a new love interest keeping me busy. It's all very new and still very early days, but I think it's going really well so far. He is lovely.

But this post isn't about him. This post is about a different relationship altogether...

Dear O.C.,

I remember when we first met. You were on Channel Nine then, buried away in the summer season. You struggled to find an audience back then. But then moved to your spiritual home, Channel Ten, and became a cultural phenomenon. They gave you a good timeslot. Supre started selling "I Love Seth" t-shirts.

Since then, we've had our ups and downs. I'd almost given up on you, you know. I thought you might have jumped the shark when Mischa Barton jumped ship. Could you survive the loss of Marissa? Could you survive the greatest challenge any teen show faces- what to do when the main characters graduate high school? Even Rachel Bilson didn't think so:

I just feel like the show is over. I'm so happy for everything it brought me, and it's been such a great experience, but I think we're all ready to move on.

Your first three episodes this season were terrible. You've always been melodramatic, but ironically melodramatic. Where was the wit? Where was the intertextuality? Why was Summer's character completely different to the first three seasons? Would all the Cohens really follow Volchek all the way to Mexico? Could Taylor really work as a lead character?

The only saving grace in these episodes was when a homeless guy called Sandy "crazy eyebrow man".

I really thought it was over for you and I, O.C.

But this week, you won me back.

I'm yours again.

This episode had everything.

There was an explanation for Summer's complete change of personality. (She was, like, so upset about the death of Marissa she decided to become a hippy!)

There were good lines:

Julie Cooper: "Two women spending Saturday night at home together, I love it. How very Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

There was the so-wrong-it's-right Taylor-Ryan match, complete with hot kiss and innuendo about peaches.* Somehow the seemingly lame French husband storyline managed to work. The Seth-Summer kiss at the airport was great too.

It played up the ridiculously-young-looking-mum angle by having Julie and daughter Kaitlin cross paths at the same nightclub. I'm warming to mini-Marissa now.

Welcome home, O.C. Just keep on doing what you do best- teen melodrama with more than a hint of irony and winks to the viewers- and we'll be just fine.

Love,

Susanne

*I always considered myself to be a Seth girl, but lately that's changed. Seth is so whiny and boyish. Ryan is a man. Team Ryan!

*Update*

Pink is the New Blog is reporting that Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson have called it quits. This makes me a bit sad. They are so cute together!

As for last night's O.C., I'm definitely warming to Kaitlin's character, and I think Autumn Reeser is doing a great job with Taylor. Keep up the good work, Schwartz.

Spring Racing Carnival 2006 Fashion Wrap-Up

2006-11-16T10:45:00.000+11:00

Now I'd hardly consider myself a fashionista.

I don't buy Cleo or Cosmo, I didn't attend the Spring Racing Carnival, and I've never had my nails done in my life.

Rather, I'm a poor student who buys most of her clothes from Valley Girl, and at this very moment I'm wearing trackpants, ugg boots and a hoodie.

But I don't think that's any reason not to judge other people's spring racing carnival outfits, is it?

I like to think of fashion the way I think of art: I don't know much about it, but I know what I like.*

First up is the obligatory 'celebrities'.

Kate 'another one bites the dust' Bosworth. Kate has gotten way too skinny lately. And what it that thing on her head?

Look how fit and healthy she was in Blue Crush a couple of years ago:

It's sad to see how thin and frail she looks now.

One thing Kate does have going for her, however, is that she is a bona fide celebrity. The other main overseas celebrity shipped in this year was Andrea Bowen, aka Teri Hatcher's daughter on Desperate Housewives. Australia, is this really the best you can do?

She looks cute enough here, but she's not even old enough to drink or bet on the races- she's sixteen- and is hardly what I'd call a 'star'. Try harder next year guys.

As for the Australian Posh and Becks, Bec and Leight, I'm in two minds about Bec's outfit. She caused a stir by wearing shorts in what is a traditionally a me-Tarzan, you-Jane sort of atmosphere, where the men wear suits and the women wear dresses.

I don't mind the shorts. I love long shorts, and I think they look quite cute on her. I would expect to see copycats next year. There's a fine line between being a trendsetter and committing a fashion faux pas though, and I don't like the bra-style top at all. It's too trashy for what is supposed to be a classy event.

Alex Dimitriades looked dapper. He was judging the fashions on the field after all.

Jennifer Hawkins always looks good, but I think this outfit is way to cutesy for her. She's sexy, not cute, and if I was dressing her I'd play up the sexy side of her.

As for the non-celebs, I love all the colour and effort people go to with their outfits, such as Ruth Jackman, who is wearing a Linda Gorringe outfit:

Jess Soldani, who must have been freezing in this outfit on cup day:

and Christolyn Raj:

I love all the elaborate hats too, but some of them just look so heavy.

Livia Leone and Sara Nicotera:

Effi Cliff:

Chantal Waters:

I don't know how she did it, but I'm very impressed with Anneliese Seubert here, for pulling off a white outfit with pale skin. Lovely.

Rebecca Twigley caused a fuss with her outfit, as per usual, but I find it rather bland myself:

And the back:

This is Sarah Schofield, who won the fashions on the field contest. Good on her for sticking with the racing theme, and for putting the outfit together on a miniscule budget.

Overall, I think the spring racing carnival fashion is improving as years go on. I look forward to next year's crop. Maybe one day I'll even get all dressed up myself.

*And when I like something I tend to stick to it. I've been wearing black Converse high tops since I was twelve and still wear them to this day, half a lifetime later.

I'm also seriously considering making a two-hour round trip this morning just to pick up a couple of the last precious pairs of Love Kylie Hollywood Hold-Ups left in Melbourne.

They're the best fishnet stay-ups around. They're sexy as, have a seam up the back and they actually stay up. That's it, I'm going...

The emancipation of Susie (apologies, Mariah) or: two months down; happiness prevails

2006-11-05T23:46:00.000+11:00

People don't complete us. We complete ourselves.

-Erica Jong, Fear of Flying*

Hello my lovely readers.

How are you all?

Well, I hope.

Please excuse my absence from the blogosphere of late.

It's been necessary for me to take some time out, away from the computer. To spend some time in the sun. To spend some time in the company of real, live people. To stop taking myself so goddman seriously. In short, to make myself happy.**

And it's worked.

I'm feeling much better about things. What I've been realising is that you can't defer your happiness until, say, you finish uni or you have more money or whatever it is you're waiting for- you have to live in the present and appreciate the things that make you happy everyday.

Lots of things have been making me happy lately. Things like seeing what may well be my favourite band ever, Less than Jake, in concert and reliving my teenage years by moshing, skanking, and going in the circle-pit with the boys; the good things about being single, like staying out really late with your friends and dancing the night away, the sense of freedom and possibility that comes with singledom; jogging farther than you thought you could and getting the adrenaline rush that comes with it; music; my lovely friends.

I've been consciously 'putting myself back out there' too, slowly. I've been meeting lots of boys and practicing my flirting technique. It's pretty fun, and it's definitely helping me get over a certain someone. I haven't met anyone I really like yet, but I did kiss a boy who wasn't the boy last weekend, for the first time in a long time.

I don't know how I found the guts to do it, but somehow I managed to pick him up. He was kind of a bad boy, with lots of tatts and piercings, yet I still felt pretty confident flirting with him. It was cool. I feel more comfortable with that sexy side of myself now than I did a couple of years ago. It's a good feeling.

Besides, meeting a new boy and hanging out with him all night until the sun rises has got to be one of my favourite pastimes ever.

For a moment there I considered getting his number, but he wasn't from Melbourne, and while I thought he was awfully pretty (and a damn good kisser), we didn't have that much to talk about, and when I was honest with myself I knew he was just another step in getting over the ex. It was an awesome night though, and it was fun to play 'the boy', and call the shots.

It's good to be back blogging.

I promise not to leave it so long between posts next time.

I'm working cup day (gah!), so I'll be checking out all your lovely blogs then.

* That's not the only lesson I learnt from Fear of Flying. It's helped my dancing too:

"Dancing is like fucking," I said, "it doesn't matter how you look-just concentrate on how you feel." Wasn't I the brazen one? What was with this woman-of-the-world act anyway? I was half crazed with fear.

I closed my eyes and gyrated inside the music. I bumped and ground and undulated. Somewhere back in the ancient days of the Twist, it had suddenly occurred to me that nobody knew how to do these dances- so why feel self conscious? In social dancing, as in social life, chutzpah is all. From then on I became a "good dancer," or at least I enjoyed it. It was like fucking- all rhythm and sweat.

** Well, that and the fact that I'm not working that much at the moment, and I usually blog at work. The above reason's more romantic though.

Backpacking through Europe or joining the army. Tough choice, hey kids?

2006-10-17T10:12:00.000+10:00

Brendan Nelson, Australia's Federal Defence Minister recently suggested that school leavers should spend their gap year between high school and university in the army, rather than travelling overseas:

"The gap-year proposal makes our army, air force and navy life a highly desirable option for young people looking for an experience for that year," Dr Nelson said.

"Why should our young people be teaching rugby in the United Kingdom, or backpacking or working in pubs instead of taking up the chance to wear the Australian uniform for a year?"

There are so many things wrong with this suggestion I hardly know where to begin.

The most concerning part of it for me is how it devalues overseas travel experience and suggests it would be more valuable for young Australians to stay in the country and train to defend Australia.

Overseas travel experience is incredibly important for getting a sense of what it means to be an Australian (If there is such a thing- I think the 'Aussie values' debate shows how hard it is to pin this down). I do think there is a certain sense of reflection and perspective that only comes from spending time outside your country.

This is especially the case for a country like Australia, which is quite isolated. I think there is a danger of becoming quite insular and inward-looking here, as the current climate of fear surrounding Muslims and Asylum Seekers shows.

I think we should be encouraging our young people to see the world; to live in other countries; to become world citizens. If they decide to join the army after that, fine.

How can our eighteen year olds be expected to train to defend Australia without experiencing other cultures and getting a sense of what it is they're defending?

(Brendan Nelson, inexplicably, on a motorcycle:)

Realistically, Nelson's comments may have been an attempt to recruit more people to the army, airforce and navy rather than any real dismissal of overseas travel.

Still, the fallout has brought about even stronger claims, such as calls for conscription from a group of former soldiers.

Mitchell Benson of Woy Woy, wrote to The Age on October 17th, saying:

MILITARY service would produce discipline, self-belief, confidence, initiative, and teamwork, which are sorely missing these days. Wouldn't that be so much better than learning how to skol a stein at Oktoberfest?

I'm sure the army does produce teamwork, discipline and other skills. I'm not arguing against that. But there are also a variety of skills such as independence, tolerance of other cultures, and perspective that come from overseas travel, which shouldn't be devalued.

In response to Mitchell, yes, on my overseas travels I learnt to skol a stein at Oktoberfest. But I also visited a concentration camp in Austria. Partying was only one side of it.

Of course, there is the possibility of overseas travel within the army. As Noel Howard wrote to The Age on the same day:

AS DEFENCE Minister Nelson stated, school leavers need not go backpacking to see the world. Join an army and you'll see the sights of Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, North Korea, and the Gaza Strip, etc.

A blissful night of Karaoke at the dodgiest venue in the world: Charltons.

2006-10-14T19:13:00.000+10:00

Last night I sang. In public. For the first time in a long time. It was great.

It was at Charltons, which is about the dodgiest pool hall/ karaoke venue you can find in our fair city.

To get there you have to go down a dirty alley that also contains a Club X, turn left, and go up three floors in a lift.* You then enter another world, with decor from at least twenty years ago. My boss informed me that twenty odd years ago, Charltons was the place to be. That's hard to imagine now.

But you know what? It's a great venue. Definitely of the so-bad-it's-good variety. It's cheap, it's dodgy, and it was the perfect after work venue for getting a bit trashed and having a good time. There are no pretensions at Charltons.

Gin and Tonics and Thai food on the company budget helped things along too.

Somehow I plucked up the courage to sing two songs all by myself- 'Killing Me Softly' by The Fugees and 'I Say A Little Prayer' by Dionne Warwick.

It was exhilarating. I'm kind of shy, but singing is different to talking. My workmates helped by cheering me on and singing along.

Back in high school I was a big time choir chick. We were quite good actually. We even won an interstate competition once. How Sister Act 2 of us. Except with less dancing. And more white people.

I really love to sing. I was a bit rusty, but I think I pulled it off.

Afterwards I got complemented, which is always nice. An older guy came up to me and said, "Your diction was impeccable, and you didn't drop a note". A couple of other guys said I did a good job, and bought me a couple of drinks.

One of them asked me if I'd like to go for coffee sometime. I declined the offer.

I guess I'm going to have to start saying yes sometime soon though. That's a scary thought.

...

I really like the Karaoke scene in Lost In Translation. That whole movie is so aesthetically appealing.

You know, I think that movie transported Scarlett Johansson from dorky sidekick in Ghost World to Hollywood It Girl in one spectacular butt-shot:

*If you're in Melbourne and would like to go up a lift to a more classy establishment, I highly recommend Madame Brussels. It's like, the anti-Charltons.

School shootings, the 'copycat effect' and gun control

2006-10-12T00:18:00.000+10:00

Of the succession of school shootings that have occurred recently, the Amish school shooting where five young girls died was surely one of the most tragic.

For Loren Coleman, author of The Copycat Effect, the Amish shooting was one of a pattern of school shootings where the murderers had been influenced by the media coverage of past shootings. He argues that the media should be more responsible in the way they report these events. For instance, he thinks they should provide contact numbers for helplines alongside news reports, and that the media shouldn't sensationalise the events.

On his website he predicted that the 11th of October was a dangerous "hot window" for more school shootings. He was scarily close- on the 9th a thirteen year old boy would probably have killed classmates if his gun hadn't jammed.

What can be done? The media following Coleman's recommendations for covering these events could help, as could greater gun control.

Greater gun control is hard to achieve in America, however, as their constitution states that individuals have the right to bear arms.

Also, many conservatives such as Elisabeth Hasselbeck defend this right strongly, arguing that perhaps it would have been useful if the Amish schoolteachers had been able to defend themselves with guns(!):

If you don't have time to watch it, this clip shows Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View debating the issue- Rosie argues for more gun control; Elisabeth argues against it on the grounds that many people use guns to defend themselves.

Personally, I'm glad I live in a country that has comparatively strict gun controls in place. I think one of the best things John Howard has done while in power has been taking a strong stance on gun control following the Port Arthur Massacre, passing legislation that "included mandatory gun licenses and registration of all firearms, and a near-complete ban on all semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, and all pump-action shotguns."

I think this had made Australia a safer place.

On the other side, however, gun control alone that will not stop people harming others. Even the Amish culture has its problems. David E. Yoder's comprehensive Amish Abuse website outlines many cases of Amish physical and sexual abuse within the culture. An ex-Amish himself, David outlines the difficulties and frustrations he has with both the Amish and the 'English' as he tries to get justice for a family of children abused by their parents.

I wish that we could eradicate all the bad from the world. That may be an impossible task, but stricter gun control and a more responsible media would be a start.

Update:

I just received an email from Loren Coleman(!), male author of The Copycat Effect.

He notes that: "It is intriguing you should mention the Port Arthur Massacre. The Port Arthur mass shooting was a copycat of the Dunblane, Scotland school shooting."

He wrote a blog about this, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", which can be found here.

Fashion tip of the week

2006-10-08T10:47:00.000+10:00

Ladies, ladies, ladies.

Following a big night out with two lovely girlfriends where much dancing and observing (read: bitching about) what other people were wearing took place, this morning I feel compelled to issue the following advice to certain dedicated followers of fahion out there:

At least six of you were at the Cherry Bar last night, dressed in the exact same outfit, with only the smallest of variations between you. The outfit was this: flat shoes, leggings of various lengths, a printed dress and a waist-belt:

I didn't see any of you wearing a headband, but it wouldn't have surprised me.

I'm all for having fun with fashion. I love all the cute flats that are out at the moment. You've got to make the most of those rare instances when fashion and comfort combine.

But please, please, don't dress in the latest trends from head to toe.

If you must follow the trends, make them work for you. Find that which suits you, and own it. You don't have to blindly follow what Cosmopolitan tells you is cool.

And as for leggings, listen to the Fug girls. They were warning against the trend way back in October 2004:

Here's the thing. Leggings under a dress are never good. Cold legs? Meet tights. Or pants. Or, my personal choice, suffering.

It's not that I don't appreciate, you know, High Fashion. I have a subscription to W, for goodness sake. I just don't think that "edgy" absolutely has to equal "ugly."

I mean....leggings, people. Leggings. We can not go back to a time when it is okay to wear leggings out of the house. I don't even want to go back to time when it is okay to wear leggings inside the house. We decide that leggings under a dress is okay, and it's just one small, slippery step toward leggings on their own, and then leggings paired with a giant tee shirt. A giant tee shirt emblazoned with an iron-on of the Nelson twins. And then, the next thing you know, we're all in algebra class again, and no one wants that.

Fight the leggings, hipsters. Fight them. I know they are comfortable. I know that. But so are tights. And tights don't make you look like you've just escaped from the wardrobe wagon of Just One of the Guys. Please. Stay strong. Stay leggings free.

Words to live by.

Over it, moving on, nothing to see here...

2006-10-02T01:55:00.000+10:00

Since you guys seemed to dig the little foray into my post-break-up melancholy, I thought I'd give you an update on the situation.

I'm getting there.

After allowing myself a month to be sad, I'm moving on. Because life is far too short to spend time wallowing over someone who doesn't want to be with you anyway. ~~At least that's what I'm telling myself.~~

For helping me get through the month, I'd like to thank the good people at Arnotts for making these delicious biscuits:

I also felt a hell of a lot better after reading It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken: The Smart Girl's Break-Up Buddy

This book made me realise that it's not necessarily all about you, and what you may or may not have done wrong, but rather that something in the relationship wasn't working. There's a lot of common sense advice in there that you sometimes can't see yourself when your emotions are getting in the way.

Regular exercise helps too, as does Swing Dancing, which I've gotten back into. I think I'm getting addicted to it. It's just so much fun.

Now that I'm feeling a bit more together, I'm looking at this experience as a way of thinking about what I really want out of life, and making the necessary changes to get there.

The next big challenge for me is to make it through the next few crucial weeks of uni. I'm trying to buckle down, but I'm sure I'll get around to checking all your blogs at some point. That's what work is for isn't it?