styles 4 u

Recently, I've been loving getting dressed up. And I don't mean in an "I'm going to the opera, please pass the powder" kind of way, but more like just being fun and throwing CAUTION TO THE WIND.

Here are some items that i have recently utilised, for the first time everrrr:
- lipstick (deep red)
- high-waisted skirts (who cares about accentuated stomachs?)
- high heeled shoes (kinda fun being tall)
- glitter nail polish (feat. confetti pieces)
- really big rings (somehow infinitely nicer than small rings?)
- short skirts (introducing: my legs)

To a certain extent, I blame SIA. Not only have I been loving her music like crazy crazy, but I have been loving her "back to childhood"/"i will wear whatever the hell i want to" aesthetic. If this year has taught me anything, it's that I'm a little obsessed with regression, and basically I am probably going to continue dragging out those old, dusty childhood obsessions for as long as society will allow, or maybe even longer.









Not that I've been that crazy really, or that this obsession has really been that much of a jump for me (my sister has been criticising my " disgusting tacky cheap style" for yearrrrs now), but recently I've been appreciating it quite extremely.

I have to start making my showreel, website etc this week, and this is the aesthetic I will be using to market myself. I want to be all about the fun, colour and confetti. If you're interested in making this website for me, plz get in touch

much love, magda

PS also planning to pierce my ears this week, wish me luck!! i will admit that i am kinda scared about the experience. i feel like i'm twelve years old again, like my parents will get angry when they see it, and i'm loving it.

summing up the last two weeks

future anxieties

Last night I dreamt about a bureaucratic error. I dreamt that I received a letter and learned the truth in no uncertain terms; my high school certificate had never been "authorised" and it was time for me to go back and repeat yr 12. So I jumped into a bus and moved to Albany (the only place that still offered the 2003 curriculum), ready to sit through another year of nikita krushchev and endoplasmic reticulum and il faut que je, whilst all my peers headed into the future without me.

Yup, so my anxieties are pretty clearly expressed there. In three weeks time this Masters will be all behind me - and so too will 18 years of study and 6 years of university life. I haven't enrolled in anything else for next year. I don't have a job yet. I don't know what lies in wait for me. It's a little terrifying. If I may use a very respectable analogy, I feel just like Rory Gilmore circa season seven! I've never been more clear about what I want to do, and so I have never felt more scared about the alternate (im)possibilities.

So, as I often do in times of stress + anxiety, I have decided to make a list.

THINGS I CAN DO WITH MY TIME TO ENSURE A SUMMER OF LOVE
(AKA "how to avoid a breakdown if my unemployment lasts longer than expected")

- finish my showreel and my website (marketing the self = enjoyable?)
- perfect my collection of film, show, life ideas so i have them all ready to go in the event of a producer magically appearing and asking "WHAT YOU GOT!?"
- make sure my short film is absolutely perfect and amazing (basically still at uni thus far...)
- consume the pile of unread books that has slowly built up in my bedroom
- work my way through my newly acquired 100 Pies and Tarts book, yussss
- visit the beach on a daily basis
- cycle all the way to beach if at all possible
- return to the piano, learn some cracking new tunes
- maybe pick up the guitar too, why the hell not
- get krunk with my original gangstas, aka tbone, clion, jtat, mozi, sash et al
- travel to: busselton
- travel to: norway, france, spain, portugal, poland, brazil, peru, mexico, nyc, & cambodia
- get a full body massage
- attend heaps of boho sleepovers
- host heaps of sleepovers. also: barbeques, picnics, dinner parties and pool parties
- learn to sew
- learn to surf (lancellin surf camp anyone?)
- learn to sleep for more than six hours at a time
- maybe write some more reviews
- maybe try and get some more stuff published
- maybe write some more prose fiction
- cure my recently aquired caffeine addiction through a welcome return to chai lattes
- radically change my hair and perhaps also get my ears pierced?!
- watch: madmen, the wire, united states of tara, the sopranos (WHAT ELSE?)
- try tackling that 1001 movies list
- go on an unplanned 'photo-taking expedition'
- contemplate the varying places where i might want to consider living for a little while
- eat lots of extravagant breakfasts feat. hollandaise sauce and/or fresh strawberries
- get into scrapbooking. i'm not joking.
- try to train and complete a triathlon; even just a small one, even just on my own
- sort out my messy filing system! important!
- basically spend heaps of time with all the people that i am missing right now, as well as all the people who i have already spent excessive time with this year, but would like to spend more time with, outside of a working context.


OK so... pls offer me more suggestions!!1
These glimpses of holiday delight are pretty much saving me from depression right now.

Lotsa love
xxxxx magda

ode to laundromat (dot com)

My parents returned from their South American adventure the other week, after eight weeks away. During this time, my sister and I enjoyed beautiful independence and peaceful co-habituation, as well as the unfortunately aligned breakage of several household objects. Namely, we somehow managed to break: the back sliding door, the vacuum cleaner, the egg poacher, and, most significantly, the washing machine. (We maintain that these breakages were the result of standard wear-and-tear and not any irresponsibility on our part).

As a result of these various events, I was lead into the magical world of THE LAUNDROMAT. Initially nervous, I approached Osbourne Park's esteemed establishment, "TheLaundromat.Com.Au," with a fair degree of caution. I was distrustful of the unfamiliar machinery, the dusty floors and the humongous, unfriendly-looking driers. I didn't know what to bring, so I came in with every kind of washing powder, a really large bag of spare coins and about five different novels. I greeted other patrons with the wary, defensive nods of one who is feeling very unsure/insecure.

As is so oft the case though, it took only two visits for me to get "crazy in lurve" with this wacky little world. In ridiculously cliched moments, I made friends with the Italian ironing lady who worked out the back, and with the young couple who came in every Monday afternoon at 4:30. When I eventually figured out how to access the wireless internet, I claimed the little corner bench as my own temporal study, and got used to setting up there with books and laptop. Great levels of productivity were reached here, where the spin of the machines lulled me into a strangely heightened focus.

My highlight was offering "sage" advice to another newcomer. My lowlight was a visit to the much more expensive, slightly stinky and much less innovatively named "Laundromat" of South Perth; an incident which only increased my appreciation of my "local" laundrette (and I guess also of Tom, who stayed by me throughout the horrible ordeal).

Woo so now that we have a new, shiny, clean washing machine with all the mod-cons and great spin power, and yet I kind of miss that world. For a little while, doing the laundry was an exciting, romantic afternoon activity - but now it has gone back to being a mundane chore. Who knew? Not I.

Perhaps when I move out, I just won't buy a washing machine. "A good decision"?

xx magda

musique

On Sunday I decided to vote that Triple J Hottest 100 thingo. I'm not actually sure if my votes were counted, because I accidentally pressed "refresh" during the confirmation process, classic me - but you all know what they say. "Votes: basically not important."*

Anyway, here are my selection, not necessarily in order of preference:

TOP TEN:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Ship Song
Basically, this song leaves me feeling overwhelmed with the memory of every emotion I have ever felt, and indeed by the sheer infinite possibility of every emotion I hope I am yet to feel. "Deep as, moite."

The Flaming Lips - Do you Realise?
Who hasn't shed a tear whilst driving down the freeway and singing along to this tune? NOT ME, LITTLE ONES. Take that double negative and figure it out.

Little Birdy - Relapse
I know this may be silly, but to me this song will always be perfect. It was the first song to ever make me cry, and the first that made me feel as if it were being sung just for me (a very special feeling, you will surely agree). I can remember listening to it on repeat in my bedroom as a naive 16 year-old, and all the wacky thoughts that accompanied that experience (life, love, friendship, the future, one boy in particular, two friends in particular). I'm not so into the uber-produced version that ended up on LB's album, but the the one on their first EP gives me goosebumps to this very day.

Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (tunnels)
If 'Do You Realise' moistens those eyes, this one switches just sends them nuts. I distinctly remember the first time I heard it - listening to an mp3 CD made by David for Luke and stolen by me. And I can remember thinking: "Holy shit, this is probably better than Little Birdy" (a BIG deal, in many ways a personal "music landmark").

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
There's not really a deep emotional connection at play here; basically this song is just killer tune meets wacky sentiment meets touching personal connotations (good times of d-floors, and in front of my bedroom mirror with deodorant can in hand in lieu of microphone and/or hair brush).

Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Essentially the same effect as numero 2. It's a song that makes me feel acutely aware of being in motion, of the constant rush of life, if you will. AND I DID.

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
What can I say? It's good for driving, great for jogging and a dream for dancing. It's a song that makes me feel all "female goddess, YOW", and gosh I am a such a sucker for the line: "Take my shoes off and THROWWWW THEM IN THE LAKE." If only you would.

Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
On the radio the other day, I heard someone talking about SR and suggesting that they prove how the best pieces of art are the ones that demand your imagination, and I could not agree more. I love how when I listen to this song I don't even notice that I can't understand the lyrics, because I've basically made up its meaning entirely in my head, and filled in the gaps myself. I love how it can make me feel so much through SOUND alone.

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
My love for Bruce was inspired only quite recently, by Ben, but I won't hold that against either of them. The love that has since developed is pure and beautiful, and this song has me in its grasp from start to finale. My favourite bit is probably at around 3 mins, when the song seems to be finishing, and then it just kicks back in with "THE HIGHWAYS JAMMED WITH BROKEN HEARTS" and you think "oh thank god for that because I wasn't ready for this to be over yet."

The Finn Brothers - Won't Give In
I know this is a bit of a wacky inclusion, and that many would dub this song "bland as heck." Somehow, though, I find it profoundly beautiful and deeply life-affirming. I love the sentiment, I love the notion of "people I call my own" and I love the bit that calls "turn around" (no bright eyes though). That's my opinion and I'm sticking it.

RUNNERS UP:
Beach Boys - God Only Knows
The Beatles - Here comes the Sun
Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey (srsly so close to being in there)
Joy Division - Atmosphere
Magnetic Fields - Strange Powers
Panics, The - Brilliant Career
Swell Season, The - Falling Slowly
Lucinda Williams - Essence (thnx caro)

Did you vote?! I would be hell of keen to know yr choices!

xx magda


*jpyl* i think votes are pretty important, just bein' bitter.
*just pulling yr leg

screen academy love fest dot com

HELLO blogword, it's been a little while! My guess is that you require some suitable reason to excuse this shamefully prolongued absence and luckily I have one big one, and an aspect of it is pictured below. See:

Pretty? YES, i like to think so.

So, in the last few months I have worked on six different film sets, I have directed one and written three, I have produced over like 80 pages of television script and I have discovered a new love (it is called: "production design"). Am I showing off? Perhaps a little, but mainly I would like to address a much larger issue. Yes, I now have to face the very real fear that I may be becoming one of those swarmpy, pretentious, satisfied WAAPA types that I used to love to hate. (NOTE I actually study at WASA, but no body knows what that is, do they?)

Further evidence:
* I constantly ache to discuss past projects, present projects and future projects (boredom city, population: me & whoever i'm conversing with at the time).
* I have a nonstop screenplay running in my head at almost all times (either that or a live radio interview, feat. me, upon my first oscar nomination).
* I pretty much love my 25+ weekly contact hrs, and would not be adverse to staying the night at uni if required (though I guess that might just be as a result of my already existing love for sleepovers?).
* I am always tired, and there is never enough time for anything, because there is just so much that I want to do (I MISS MY FRIENDS SO MUCH).

So, in many ways, I hate this. I can still remember talking to Caro in Jan, as we drove from Heron's Nest into the bustling Busselton CBD, and being all: "WAAPA isn't even that great, what's it's problem?!" and "those crazy OCD WAAPA types are nut jobs, their lives must suck LOL" etc. (and I guess I made some ^strong points^!). Then again, though, it is kind of amazing. As with so many things that I initially fear, it has ended up being a great decision - it turns out that I love the endless string of challenges, the fun people, and the concentrated creativity. And I just wanted to get that down before I changed my mind, as I am so wont to do.

(though this doesn't in any way change the fact that i am excited beyond all BELIEF about my 2 upcoming non-contact weeks.)

xx magda

ps i will update more from now on OK

email ecstasy

My long-time bff Tom "T-Bone" ReyRey recently became one of my work colleugues. Apart from the good corridor times we have shared since his contract began, we have also been spending a lot of time laughing at spam emails. For some reason, the UWA Student Guild (where we both work) is some sort of crazy spam epicentre, with every account receiving on average 50 spam items per day.

Basically the fun thing about these spam emails is that they are hilarious as heck, and often also come from amazing email addresses such as: passion-secretary@guild (a passionate secretary OR a secretary of passion?).

Here are our top ten thus far (all of which we have previously forwarded to one another for a little intra-office humouring):


1. "your male friend will grow like on yeasts"
2. "small bananas bring small problems, big bananas bring no problems"
3. "le sexe du comprime pour tous" ("a touch of europe" - dedicated to daniel creedon) (literal translation: "the sex of compressions for all!)
4. "give her SHOCK by your manhood - surprise!"
5. "your manhood will fly to the stars - & you think yr little friend is good for nothing?"
6. "heave your sweet bed times, enjoy the sweet times"
7. "the best way to prove your virility is to get a submariner SS watch" (a bit out of left field?)
8. "get yr orgasms filled with much-needed calcium"
9. "your weasel just got bigger in days"
10. "order now, your rod of steel"

oh the times we have.

xx magda

feeling miserable, but loving it

This arvo I had to do a little presentation for my Scriptwriting for TV unit - and chose to focus on one of my favourite TV shows of all time, Love My Way. That means that I spent basically the whole weekend re-watching old episodes and over-dosing on a hell of a lot of emotion. I don't want to be no spoiler queen (as I have been in the past), but something pretty awful happens in episode 8 of this series, and basically my poor heart breaks a little every time I watch it. WORST. But also: BEST, as I shall proceed to explain.

For the presentation's sake, I had to really figure out what makes this series so unique, and why I am so strongly drawn to it. I have concluded that, unlike any other Australian drama, this is a series takes risks. By which I do not only mean sex/drugs/artistic type risks, but also, more pertitently, emotional risks. It's a show based essentially around a deep family sadness, and around heavy, heavy, heavy themes. And I can see how that is perhaps not such an appealing premise, on a face value.

A lot of its strength lies in its characters, I suppose. Personally, I feel as if I know all these people, as if they were actually a part of my life, or my family, - and this is precisely why the series succeeds in exploring themes of death, grieving and loss in a much more intimate and genuinely affecting way than any other TV show I've seen (and that includes Six Feet - as Sasha pointed out). But, beyond that, the show succeeds because it is absolutely fearless. It is unafraid to take us deep into personal, internal experiences - and to admit when there is absolutely no glimmer of happiness. So, when hope does (eventually) spring, it is all the more moving and profound.

None of that would have worked if the show had been half-arsed about its darkness. It had to jump all the way into that sadness in order to emerge from it with something truly meaningful. And I am happy to say that that is exactly what it did. In the end, all I can do is apply those learned words: "emotionally debilitating, yet deeply life affirming" - because for once they are actually appropriate.

What a show. It comes highly recommended.

xxx magda

"eggciting"

Guys this last long weekend was so great! I thought I would use it to party hard, and I did a little, but truth be told I mainly spent it getting "into the spirit" of Easter!

My favourite event of easter is almost always the EASTER SATURDAY BASKET BUILDING MARATHON. And I feel compelled to share a little about that with you now. For, despite all my spirtual anxieties, this is one (albeit loosely) Church-based tradition that I truly cannot get enough of.

First you lovingly decorate your basket, with freshly plucked flower and herbs, and ribbons and toy chickens and sometimes with glitter. Next, you select one piece of every food you intend to eat on Easter Sunday, and perhaps you also eat some of it. Then you take your basket, now filled with chocolate, sausage and cupcakes (the only important foods), down to the Polish church for a quick blessing. There is no mass! It only takes five minutes! You can go out for lunch afterwards! Amazing!

Look at us just going for it:


WACKY FACT: this year two baskets actually went missing! A jealous basket maker destroys their competition? A crazed Pole gets lost in amongst all the sausages and mistakenly takes someone else's? Or a lonely Australian watches with envy as these ethnics celebrate, and feels compelled to get in on the action by way of some "accidental thievery"? Who will ever know?

And here am I, the proud owner of the best-looking basket in towne:



Love to all,
x magda

the internet surprises yet again...

So, at the moment I am doing some tutoring at UWA, for a communication studies unit called "The Importance of Story." So far we've covered heaps of wacky topics, and in this coming week we'll be looking at how individuals build personal narratives online. Part of the week's homework is to google classmates/tutors, so I thought I might just enter my own name, to prepare for what my students might find out about me.

This is basically a long-winded way of saying: "I googled myself - BUT I HAD A GOOD EXCUSE OK." And the point is that, through this process, I actually discovered that one of my lifelong dreams has already been realised, entirely without my knowledge!

Some of you might have heard of the Australian doco Bomb Harvest. I think it only got about a week of screening at Luna last year, but it was quite enjoyable/informative. I gave it a pretty positive review (click to read) and that was that - until now, when I stumble across their website and find that I have been quoted.

Check it:

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I barely can!

Yes, the quote is a bit inane and not really insightful in any way, shape or form, but I'm freaking NUMBER FOUR on their quotes list and that makes me pretty excited. I BASICALLY AM RIGHT NEXT TO MARGARET AND DAVID and that in itself demands caps lock abuse. AWESOME. The website can be found here. They have about ten more reviews listed after those.

So it seems that now I can check that achievement off my "to-do" list. What a thrill ride. It turns out there was a reason why I have been writing these reviews, and that reason is: ONLINE FAME.

Happy Easter everyone!!
x magda

geener pastures

Hello all! As you may or may not have noticed, there have been some changes 'round the traps. I have moved to this new blog site primarily for the following reasons:

1. heartsandpinwheels, as a blog title, never sat comfortably with me. Yes it's pretty and nicely sofia coppola-inspired, but to me it never really screamed "magda magic." pasticheparty does that a little more, because it neatly straddles that thin line between my aspirations towards intellectualism, and my love for fun times. Names - "turns out they mean things."

2. The concept for my blog needed to be broadened. It began as a space for writing about inspiration, and I want it to continue being that, but I also want to spread wings. I am studying a new course now, which is making me feel a little bit more comfortable about my creativity, so I'd love to develop those feelings further through this blog. I'd also like to bring in a bit more about magdalife, because, hey, what a life it is.

3. It was time for a new design, and pasticheparty really contains more visual potential, as a concept, than heartandpinwheels ever did. Check out that header! Does it not rule?! I think so. I hope that never again will my blog look be described as "geocities-esque" (ie the ultimate internet zing).

"Well," you might ask, "can we conclude that good times are ahead?"
"YES, little one, we can," is my very eloquent response.

muchos lovez,
(in commradary with my south american friends)
x magda

summer farewell

I haven't posted in a while, and that this is not for lack of inspiration so much as the exact opposite - too much inspiration, too much happening, argh argh argh! I don't really even have the time to craft an eloquent post today but for the sake of positing something, ANYTHING, i thought i would just upload some images (lomo, again). These were all taken agggges ago, not during the summer, but right before it, around the fringes of warmth. You can see that in the grey skies and empty beaches. It's the kinda weather that is right around the corner for us now.

As usual, I am sad to see summer go, because I love her warm embrace and her bright yellow light. But, on the other hand, I'm getting quietly excited about boots and umbrellas and gloves and scarves. And, in many ways, I farewelled summer the moment I stepped back into study. Study always feels to me like the antithesis of summer, for in my mind it is necessarily accompanied by wet-edged library books and lots and lots of tea. Besides, there is nothing sweeter than to look out of a window and see a university under rain clouds. It works, somehow.






Happy Autumn everyone!
x magda

our national day

I'm not really a fan of Invasion Day, flag capes and crowded foreshores, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a fan of our personal Australia Day tradition: disgusting sausages, the last 10 songs in the Hottest 100, and casual pool times feat. the occasional "inflated dolphin race." This year I decided to take polaroid snaps because a) i do not use my polaroid camera enough to warrant my possesion of it (it is pretty special) and b) it is difficult to photograph an annual tradition without inane repetition year in, year out.

As you can see above, I prob need to acquire some sort of better pen for scanning purposes (and also a better scanner, now that I mention it...).

x magda

this is the time, that i'll come running....

So I am basically still obsessing over "Tuesday Night with Nick Cave," and thought maybe I should write a little about it. As a gig, it is totally up there with my all-time favourites (FYI, the list so far includes: The Flaming Lips at BDO '04, Arcade Fire at the Enmore in Melbourne last yr and '06 PJ Harvey also in the lovely Belvoir!). NC was something truly special, though - never before have I seen an artist so completely command audience attention. He draws you in with charisma and banter and mature sexiness (a popular example: "are you touching my cock? ... jesus christ, i'm 51 years old!") and then he holds your attention through the sheer intensity of his performance. Personally, I felt as if every single song was being directed straight at me; there's a focus and a force there that is truly remarkable. I almost felt sorry for all the Bad Seeds behind him, they were completely overshadowed by his power as a frontman.

Caro has already detailed some of the advantages of performers "on the older side," but, additionally, something I personally love about this factor is just the wealth of repertoire that an older artist has at his disposal - particularly in the case of someone as diverse as NC. I'm so used to seeing "new" artists with only 1 or 2 or maybe, if you're lucky, up to 4 (!) albums, so the level of surprise is greatly decreased. With NC, though, every new song is something special, unpredictable or surprising - what a thrill! My personal highlight was when "Into My Arms" gave way to "Straight to You." "IMA" naturally weakened my emotion resolve (just imagine if he'd played the freaking SHIP SONG!), so, by the time that "STY" kicked in, basically all I could do was just fall, completely, into the joy of that song. All of it was amazing, though. The photo above is one of only 3 that I took, because I was far too absorbed in the performance to bother which such silly distractions. I wanted to watch it alllll.

To make matters even greater, the evening wrapped up beautifully! The bouncer was delightfully chipper ("cheers for coming, cheers for enjoying!"), and then we hung out in the floodlit oval carpark, playing makeshift cricket (with coke bottle bat) while we waited for the cars to clear. And, when I got home, I snuggled up on my bean bag to watch Barack Obama become the American President. Pretty much the best night ever.

x magda

how good is this?!

picture courtesy of b-dog and i guess also saul loeb who actually took the photo

back on land

So this blog has been a little quiet recently and, as is often the case, my excuse can be presented in three parts: 1) a little blog-related insecurity, which i shall now proceed to push through with a vengeance, 2) a hell of a lot of worky work AND 3) a magical two weeks spent "on the road."



My last five years have all commenced like this, with a journey down south in search of adventure and fun times. Every year about 15 of us squeeze into cars and then into tents and then into bedrooms and we spend almost two weeks basking in one another's company. Inevitably, there are parties (spontaneous AND planned), creative projects (failed AND successful) and beautiful new discoveries (is that actually SASHAAA out there?!). And then at the end I come home feeling refreshed and inspired and happy, ready (if reluctant) to take on the rest of the year.

Here are my TOP FIVE favourite buss09 moments. I would like to be reminded of these if life gets a little hard this year:

1. That morning when Caroline led me over stinger armies and dark seaweeded depths until we reached a mysterious floating trampoline and climbing wall with slide! Lying on my back next to Hannah as Damien bounced beside us, I was struck by surrealness of it all; to be lolling/lol-ing on a trampoline with friends, about fifteen minutes away from the freaking shore.

2. When, feeling tired and hazy one morning, I opened up the refridgerator in search of sustenance, only to find a cold, plastic snake lodged between some cheese and a bowl of leftover pasta.

3. Blasting "Affirmation" at top volume as we rolled down Bussell Hwy, singing along with Jenny, Ro & Caro, and thinking, "I wonder what they're doing in the boy car right now?"

4. Lying on the floor beside my bed after the mess that was the "Under the Sexy Sea" party, with Moriarty (or maybe Sasha?) next to me, and about six other lovable characters in around and on the bed itself, thinking, "Yessss, I may almost be unconscious but at least I am still in amongst PARTY."

5. Arriving back at SouthBound after a quick trip to the beach, and bouncing straight into Architecture in Helsinki, still in bathers and thongs . I cannot even remember what songs AIH played or whether they were actually any good, all I remember is jumping up and down in a spot of space right near the back, and really truly loving life/youth.

x magda

PS i have changed my layout a little! do you like it, or do you hate it?!
damn, html is a bitch!