Drive to Bendigo 2009

Last evening I went for a drive up to Kinglake, and it was awe-inspiring. The further out of the city I travelled, the more I noticed changes in the air, the smells, the sounds. Subtleness in those changes relax me beyond comprehension sometimes. To drive out there with someone who also so appreciates the country made the spontaneous drive even more of a joy; from watching Kangaroos grazing on the side of the road at 1 o'clock in the morning, to being intimidated by the unprotected drop-off beside us on a winding road. It was the first time I ever had the benefit of visiting Kinglake, and it seemed unreal to see the insurmountable damage from Black Saturday. Even in the night, I saw naked, stripped, trees stretching out from the darkness. The nature was incredibly eerie, and  breathtaking all at once. 
I plan on spending as much time in the country this year as possible. Wether it be more midnight drives through Kinglake and the Dandenongs, or back up to the Otway and beyond. It's all of the smells, the vast expanses, the tales, and the feeling of being able to take a genuine deep breath that I am so strongly drawn to.


Goodnight Melbourne. 

Totoro cameo in Toy Story 3!!

你

I realized today that I tend to collect cards. I collect them from coffee shops, from restaurants, from book stores, pet stores, and clothing stores. From anyplace that has caught my eye, positively or negatively. I collect them whenever I am away from home, and whenever I return. I can link almost every card back to a memory of why I was there, or who I was with.

A few even have personal inscriptions. From a beautiful message on the back of a Bistro Thierry card in Melbourne, to a "call-me-if-you-ever-come-to-New-York" note from a woman who worked in What Goes Around Comes Around.

Like the hundred or so polaroids on my bedroom wall, I have decided to put these cards up on the wall of my study.

Philip Island, New Years Eve 2009

Victoria Point, Malibu CA 2006

Yesterday when I went to enquire about a new polaroid camera and I was (unexpectedly) informed that another company will in fact be continuing the 600 film.

So, despite the fact that 600 film is currently somewhat of a treasure to find, it will be readily available come August/September of 2010. This is some of the greatest news my ears have heard this year.

Songs of Summer II

To the summer of 2010,

Enjoy.

1. That's Life - Frank Sinatra

2. Sundress - Ben Kweller

3. The River of Dreams - Billy Joel

4. I'd Rather Dance With You (Radio Mix) - Kings of Convenience

5. Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) - Jay Z

6. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

7. Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude - Yo-Yo Ma

8. Superstar (feat. Matthew Santos) - Lupe Fiasco

9. Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer) - Stan Getz & João Gilberto

10. New Soul - Yael Naïm

11. I Get High on You (Single) - Sly & The Family Stone

12. All I Need - Radiohead

Hi, 2nd year

First Breakfast, Together Again

For the first time in my life I sauntered away from class with my entire body tingling with anticipation. A year prior my mind was fraught with anxiety and speculation, and since then those feelings have been replaced with the wide-eyed curiosity and exhilaration that I've been longing for.

"I am a product of my culture. Where we come from, and what we are will be heavily communicated."

-Neil Stanyer, during the first lecture of the year

(Image taken on i-Phone)

Billy Joel - The River of Dreams

Tomorrow morning I will wake up and enjoy my first day as a 2nd year student at PSC.

I am honestly so elated to watch what happens this year. I can't wait to be apart of projects, to travel, to continue growing, to see those who will enter my life, and those who will depart.

I'm so curious, and I'm so excited.

Good night Melbourne.

xx

A pink sky while waiting for pizza

(take on i-Phone)

"Stay loose, concentrate, and don't forget to breath"

James Nachtwey

I'll be seeing you

Man Reading on Platform 5

Chin Up

"The high cause of journalism is to serve the greater good of humanity. The change can not happen until we understand what's wrong. I believe journalism is a service industry, and the service we provide is awareness"

James Nachtwey

Great ramen, Movits!, and sketches of unexpected lunch encounters.

I ventured to a new ramen place today, and it was honestly fantastic. Halfway through my ramen a woman sat just diagonal of me and we would occasionally look up, nod, smile, and go back to our food.

When it came time to leave she stood up and said a farewell in Chinese, and I wished her a wonderful day in English.

An incredibly raw, honest film, based on the book Push. I would most certainly see it again.

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Gazing

MOVITS! - Fel Del Av Gården (Officiell)

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

-Nelson Mandela

Clover, 1934

I would adore the chance to see this painting by Tateishi Harumi in person..

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”

Japanese Proverb.

En route to Phillip Island I

En route to Phillip Island II

En route to Phillip Island III

40.

Bento Boxes in Chinatown

The Paperback Bookstore

I really adore the sound of cicadas. If someone had asked me my thoughts on them 5 years ago I would have glared, or scoffed my feelings of distain towards them. Little green creatures that had replaced my precious sounds of the ocean with an irksome buzz, I couldn't comprehend it.

Ask me what I think about them now, and I can't help but grin.

I now understand my mother's reasons for moving here, and I am so thankful for them. While I am still so very patriotic, and I carry so much pride for my home, I no longer feel the need to hang on to that for comfort.

Memories of driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, bound for Malibu, to Norah Jones's 'Don't Know Why' will be forever etched in my memory. And one day I hope to share that memory with someone close, but it no longer defines me.

It may have taken me 5 and a half years, but I finally call this most curious Nation, and the people in it, home.

Thank you for your patience, Melbourne.

37.

House-sitting Heyington with Kafka on the Shore and Django.

Bliss.

(Taken on i-Phone)

35.

Planning a trip to New Zealand with a dear travel accomplice.

Faces II

Paolo Escalante at Cafe e Torta

On Tuesday afternoon I sat outside at Cafe e Torta with Paolo for several hours. We drew, we chatted, had a heart-to-heart, giggled, and drank coffee and chocolate milkshakes.

Faces II

Paolo Escalante

Faces II

Paolo Escalante, drawring

Photo Booth # 7 - Madison & Jessie

A Red Rose at 11:22 pm

There are people who use their train/tram rides home from work as their moment to relax. There are some who enjoy watching TV, or reading, or perhaps even napping. While I do enjoy all of the above, it's the walk home from work that enables me to relax the most.

I have stopped getting a ride home from friends because I enjoy it so much. I find that by the time I get home most of the worries and stresses from my day, or from work, have left me.

It's quiet, it's balmy, and I can sit and look at the stars on a clear night. It's a time where I can sit, completely undisturbed, to think and simply be.

Good night Melbourne.

"The question is not what you look at, but what you see."

Henry David Thoreau

30.

Ground Floor of the National Gallery of Victoria