Sunday morning at the movies: I didn't look at my watch

Been to the movies because for the first time in quite some time because there's been a movie on that doesn't look like complete and utter garbage. Too harsh on the film industry? Whatever....

Let's just say that Mao's Last Dancer is one of my favourite books. A favourite book is one that I have read more than once. All the others are just known as "books". So, I was very interested to see what Bruce Beresford would do with it. I had also watched Margaret and David review it on Wednesday evening. Margaret cried "buckets". David was far more stoic in his reaction. I think my reaction is probably somewhere in between Margaret and David.

I didn't look at my watch....which is always a good sign in a film...but then that may have been because I had forgot to wear it. The telling of the story through flashback was okay. And I know we're not supposed to compare books with movies, but for me the more interesting part of the book was the first part spent in China. Don't get me wrong the US experience of Li is fascinating as well but it seemed to be given greater weight in the movie. Aden Young was unrecognisable as the Texan husband of one of the dancers. And what's with Jack Thompson doing Southern drawl cameos? Is he linked to the funding of Australian movies?

Still it's all about the dancing, which looked fabulous - even for a ballet dunce like myself. Graeme Murphy choreographed. And the final scene of a performance of the Rite of Spring was grea, Having only ever listened to the music it was a treat to see some dancing to go along with it.

If you don't choke up and shed a few tears when Li finally meet his parents after so long, you might just have a heart of stone.

"Hello...what's the time"

Dear Apple Incorporated

Just a quick note to advise that here in Queensland we do not have daylight saving. I mention this only because I was pretty happy when my iPhone alarm went off at 7:35 and then I had a bit of a further sleep in until what I THOUGHT was quarter past eight. Imagine my surprise and confusion when I walked out into the kitchen to see the clock on the wall showing 7:15. Oh well I thought to myself, the battery probably needs replacing. But then, no....I turned on the computer and it too said 7:17 AM. What's going on? I have ultimate trust in your products Apple so of course I presumed that there had been some kind of strange time shift/warp thing going on. Just to be on the safe side I rang my parents. The conversation went like this:

Father: Hello
Wendy: Hello - what's the time?
Father: ummmmmmm (clearly wondering if I had lost my ability to read and tell time).....just after 7.
Wendy: Bugger.

So here's my suggestion. Let us control the time on our iPhones by ourselves. That way on a particular Sunday morning in October I won't be all happy that I had managed to sleep in, only to be sorely disappointed on realising I haven't.

Kind Regards
Wendy

Is 20 a short list or a long list?

For me it's an impossible task to answer the question "What's your favourite song lyric?". It's right up there with "What's your favourite movie?" etc. There is no single definitive answer. It changes hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, decadely. So I have managed to narrow down a short list of 20 to take to bookclub this afternoon. We may be there for some time if everyone has had the same problem. I do believe we won't get through them all so I am burning everyone a CD that contains the following. It's focussed on popular song - no opera, no musical theatre etc. For that we would require a weeklong workshop. Also be aware if I were to make this list tomorrow it would probably be entirely different. There may have been a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, some Mamas and Papas, more Beatles, less Billy Bragg, more Beck and REM and much more. You get the idea. Here we go:

1. Four Seasons in One Day - Crowded House - Woodface.
Neil Finn writes perfect pop songs. Melody, lyrics, harmony are always beautiful, deceptively simple in sound. One day he will realise the error of his ways and ask me to marry him. Dream on Wendy.

2. Losing My Religion - REM - Out of Time
One of the first albums I ever bought on CD (and that ages me) and epitomises my first year away at uni as a 17 year old. This was the big radio hit, but the album is full of gems. Even now it takes me back to the residential college in Toowoomba. The mandolin sound makes it shine.

3. Sparky's Dream - Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix.
Scottish jangly guitar pop. What could be better than that? In the days when I still listened to Triple J it was all over the radio. The whole album is fabulous as is Songs from Northern Britain. I could have picked anyone of them.

4. A Foggy Day - George and Ira Gershwin - sung by Rufus Wainwright in his Judy Garland tribute show.
I have adored the Gershwin songs for as long as I can remember. Once I thought I had lost my big piano anthology of their songs so I ordered a new one quick smart. Now I have two. This is one of my absolute favourites to play and sing, pretending that I might be in a 1940s Hollywood musical. *Sigh* It's never going to happen I know.

5. Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards - Billy Bragg - Worker's Playtime
Oh Billy you're all very serious and political. But the lyrics of this song also make me smile. That's no bad thing. We're all still waiting I think. One day Billy Bragg will realise the error of his ways and ask me to marry him. Dream On Wendy.

6. After All These Years - Silverchair - Diorama.
You know I'm no Silverchair fan, but this song is stunningly beautiful, with an unusual chord structure, soaring melody which is pretty bloody difficult to sing and a poetry to the lyrics that is unexpected. One day Daniel Johns will realise the error of his ways and ask me to marry him. Dream on Wendy.

7. Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants - Flood.
SURPRISED? No I didn't think you would be. I can remember the first time I saw and heard this song. The ABC was running Countdown Revolution 6pm weeknights. My brother and I were watching it as the music video came on. It took me two years before I heard it again. Bundaberg was a backwater at the time so I don't think I was going to find it in Big W. First year uni a friend had the album on CASSETTE which they kindly loaned me. My tape player chewed it up. Ooops. Soon after I bought the CD. (I could have filled the entirety of my selections with their songs but decided that might be unkind on the others.) One day John Linnell or John Flansburgh will realise the error of their ways and one or the other will ask me to marry them. Dream on Wendy.

8. Frank Mills - The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
I love the story in this short little song. If you've never heard it you need to. It's like a narration of an incident. Only in the last few years have I discovered that it's from Hair. Anyway, Evan Dando used to be very beautiful with shiny long hair. That may have been part of the attraction of the song? Surely not. One day Evan Dando will realise....etc etc

9. Between the Wars - Billy Bragg - from the Back to Basics compilation I have
It's sparse, it's politically direct and sung with conviction.

10. Son of Sam - Elliott Smith - Figure 8
No longer with us sadly, Elliott Smith wrotes beautiful lyrics and melody. Best known for having songs on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack, every one's a winner on this album.

11. What Becomes of the Broken Hearted - Jimmy Ruffin
I adore the epic scale of this song, and love that I discovered through the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE. (That's an order by the way).

12. God Only Knows - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
The album that inspired the Beatles to pull their collective fingers out and write Sergeant Pepper I believe ( I may be wrong). I adore anything with harmony and this is classic. Plus, apparently they copped some flack for mentioning the word God when it was first released. Something in common with John Lennon it seems. I don't want Brian Wilson to ask me to marry him.

13. Bohemian Polka - Weird Al Yankovic - Alapalooza
Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against Queen. We studied Bohemian Rhapsody in High School music class. (I think they still do). I appreciate the genius etc. But this just makes me laugh at the portentous, earnest lyrics. And in a funny way, I enjoy them even more. Regarding marriage see the above as for Brian Wilson.

14. The Unwelcome Guest - Billy Bragg and Wilco
The project that resurrected previously unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics. Nuff said really. Sometimes I worry that there is a country music fan hiding inside of me trying desperately to escape. But this is a stunning song. And it's a waltz. I was going to choose Walt Whitman's Niece because it's funnier. Seek it out if you've never heard it. One day Jeff Tweedy will etc etc...you get the idea

15. Across the Universe - The Beatles
Put every Beatles song ever written into a hat and pull one out. It could probably be on the list. This one just happens to be taking my fancy this week. One day Paul McCartney....oh no wait...he's a bit creepy these days sad to say.

16.Devil's Haircut - Beck - Odelay
My all time favourite Beck album. I can still remember going into the little CD shop in Hervey Bay and buying it the day after he won a heap of awards. Myself and the red-haird gawky teenage shop assistant had a lovely little conversation about it. One day Beck will definitely realise the error of his ways....la di da.

17. Where is My Mind - The Pixies - Surfer Rosa
See comments as for the Beatles. I am forever indebted to my little brother for playing these albums non-stop as they gradually seeped into my subconscious and I recognised them for the all round wonderfulness that they are. One day Joey Santiago....*just stop it it's not funny anymore*.

18. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana - Nevermind
Yes - I know - the Generation X cliche. Whatever. It's still good. I do not apologise for including it. So there. One day Dave Grohl will arrive at my front door with a big bunch of flowers.....No? Oh Well...

19. Australia - The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Joyful and comic!

20. Take this Waltz - Leonard Cohen
I am a shamefully late adopter to Mr Cohen. I was put off seeking him out earlier by the memory of a conversation with my aforementioned brother who disdainfully described as a "depressing kind of poet". (NB. that's probably not a direct quote...it was many years ago but you get the general idea). I'm annoyed that I let that influence me, because I don't find this music depressing at all. It's melancholy, but a peculiarly hopeful melancholy if that makes any sense. Uplifting, witty, sometimes violent imagery, thoughtful with a great beauty and sense of solace. But not depressing. Again, regarding marriage see same as for Brian Wilson and Weird Al. Leonard and I could be good friends though I think.

If that wasn't enough this afternoon's bookclub is significant for two other reasons:
1. It's most likely Anne M's last bookclub with us before she deserts us for the bright lights of Brisbane. Sad faces all round.
2. In honour of no. 1 Ann H is giving a Devonshire Tea. (Because it's not like I haven't engaged in a foodfest all week long in celebration of my birthday. No sirree. Just what I need are more treats!)

"I don't like this thing...and here's what I'm doing with it"

I could post hundreds of these and have already inflicted a few on my Facebook friends. Don't worry though I'm not going to ( she says with her fingers crossed) but this is an absolute favourite.

Have a great Friday everyone.

The Annual Libran Lunch

Today was the Annual Libran Lunch. Three of my friends and I have our birthdays in late September, early October and for the last few years have made a point of getting together for lunch. Of course, we get together for lunch at many other times during the year, but another excuse is always welcome.

Here's something you need to know if you go out to lunch with a group of Librans. It will take them ages to make a decision on what to order. They will agonise over the menu for some time, discussing the pros and cons of each item. Then in the end they will usually go back to what they always have.

Today the venue was the always wonderful Indulge. Two of us (the Anne/Anns M and H) split the mediterranean lamb burger while the other two (Jinx and I) split the BLT. No surprises there. Jinx and I did also share the mini serve of chips with garlic aioli. Mmmmmmm.

Luckily we had decided on the nice, sharing, balanced, all round Libran approach to ordering because unbeknownst (?) to us to three of us, Ann H had nipped into Indulge yesterday and organised surprise dessert for our birthdays. Red Velvet Cupcakes topped with sweetened cream and strawberries were the order of the day. They were very red and utterly delicious. I wish I had taken a photo.

Sadly, this may have been the last of the Libran lunches for the four of us in Bundaberg as one of our number is decamping to Brisbane in a week or two. To live.
However, the three of us will soldier on. Or perhaps we will find another unsuspecting Libran to invite into our exclusive little astrological clique.

Watch, Listen and Singalong: Part 28: You were driving circles around me

It really is quite amazing what pops into your mind in the wee small hours of the morning. I woke up at 4 (yes darned kookaburras again) and suddenly this song was going through my head. I don't own it, I haven't heard it since Triple J used to thrash it all over the radio in the early-mid 90s. Anyway, this is a rejigged version. It's a great song.

Remembrance of birthdays past

So you wake up at 3:16am on your birthday? Is it the excitement? Or is the great honking birdlife outside across the creek? I'm tipping the birds. Anyhoo, it gave me half an hour or so to think back on past birthdays. Here's a few trips down memory lane. Be warned, not all of them show me in a particularly lovely mood.

1. Age 6: The McDonalds Birthday Party. Now it's a little while since I was six so I can't actually remember if this was my birthday or one of my little grade one friends. I don't think that actually matters. What I do remember is the cheeseburger, the icecream cake, the poor girl working there who had to entertain us by playing games with McDonald's paraphernalia, and the playground outside to which we all retreated after the inside fun was over.

2. Age 7: The Backyard family afternoon tea where I received my first ever Enid Blyton Malory Towers book (the second one). There began a lifetime fascination with English boarding school stories, midnight feasts, lacrosse (whatever the hell that was), and an odd desire to change my name to either Gwendoline or Daphne. Why my parents found this hilarious I have no idea. My dream was partly fulfilled when I named a cat Daphne a few years ago. She was perhaps the most unpleasantly tempered cat in the universe. I digress

3. Age about 10 or 11: The Birthday party at home with all your school friends. LOTS of presents. Mainly books - surprise! But two other gifts remain stuck in my memory. Some groovy shoelaces - white with pink kisses on them - meant to be worn as hair accessories. I thought they were so cool. It was the 80s so stop scoffing. And a china shepherdess ornament that WAS ALSO A BELL. We played pass the parcel, statues, drank a lot of cordial and another great game that involved everyone taking off their shoes, mixing them up in a big jumble at the end of the backyard and then having to run and find your own. Yes, I know it sounds lame now, but it was fun at the time.

4. All the birthdays from age 10- 12 when I didn't get a Cabbage Patch Kid. They were new, they were hyped, everyone else seemed to be getting one except me no matter how much I whinged about it. And then, the ultimate betrayal, my younger sister arrives and by the age of THREE has a Cabbage Patch Kid. I still bring this up sometimes in family conversations. The same was true for Poppers ( My brother and I didn't get them, while my sister did) and watching Australian soap operas. I may have been the only person in my peer group who wasn't allowed to watch A Country Practice of Neighbours. Not that it's scarred me for life or anything.

5. Age 13: The Teenage Tantrum Birthday at the Gold Coast. I had just been away on a two week tour with the local youth orchestra travelling to Sydney, Canberra and through NSW. I may have been a little overtired. I met back up with my parents at the Gold Coast and we spent my birthday in my grandparents beachhouse at Palm Beach. Memories are a little hazy but there seemed to be difficulty in finding a cake. My father (ever the one for the "cheaper" option - and I say that in a loving, daughterly way) came home with a jam sponge. A JAM SPONGE I ASK YOU?. It didn't even have proper icing!!! Cue, Wendy throws a tantrum most unbecoming.

6. Age 16: The New Watch, Getting your learner's permit birthday. Suffice to say I don't think that Mum's Datsun 200B ever quite recovered from the numerous times I stalled it. I didn't understand gears then, and don't really now. That's why I drive an automatic car.

7. Age 17: The Second Tantrum Birthday. I had a perforated eardrum and had spent the previous evening waiting in the outpatients at the dreaded BUNDABERG HOSPITAL. Needless to say I wasn't really in the mood to go to school and find my friends had photocopied and distributed posters that it was birthday round the school. I WAS NOT IN THE MOOD.

8. Age 18: The University Birthday. I was at Uni...first birthday away from home. Great friends made it a great day. Pity I don't see any of them anymore. It was exciting going to the post office and finding my present from home there ON THE ACTUAL DAY though. Oh...there may have been alcohol involved. Let's not go there. It's all a little unflattering.

9. Age 21: Funnily enough this was particularly unmemorable. I don't even know what I got.

And then after that they all become a blur. (Note: nos. 6 and 7 may be round the wrong way. I can't remember that either)

What Wendy Watched: I sing the body electric

Well, here The Spiralling Shape continues its occasional series in which Wendy catches up with seminal dancing, singing, music movies from the 1980s that she has never managed to watch before. Today's topic is Fame (1980).

What's weird about this is that as a young person we watched the TV series Fame well before I encountered the movie. Then one day, not long after my family bought a VHS recorder, we rented the movie Fame thinking it would be similar in tone etc to the television episodes. Big mistake. After half an hour of "bad language" (i.e. swearing) the video was turned off and I never got to see it again until yesterday. I might have been 11 or so at the time I think.

So what a treat to sit down last night and watch Alan Parker's film. (One of my other absolute favourites is The Commitments). Fame was nicely gritty and is certainly is no High School Musical. That's a good thing by the way. I was particularly oblivious to the other songs that were in the film (apart from the title track which is perhaps the most annoying). I enjoyed them a lot even if they seem a bit sappy now (nearly thirty years later). I loved the scenes where Doris and Ralph went to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the depiction of the difficulties of actually ever making a living in the performing arts. Speaking as one who studied a degree in music long ago, it seems very few people "make it" (whatever that really means) and many, years later, find themselves doing very different jobs to those they dreamed of at age 17. I don't think I'll bother with the just released remake. But here, for your enjoyment is the final song.



Verdict: It has aged more gracefully than Footloose. Next stop...maybe Flashdance. My hopes aren't high for that one.

Watch, Listen and Singalong: Take this Waltz

Let's waltz our way through Sunday shall we?

Satisfying Saturday in the Main Street

I know you all eagerly await news of my Saturday shopping purchases so here we go.

The Darjeeling Limited - 12.99
Fame - 8.99
The Office (US Version Season One) - 12.99

(Target is having a sale on DVDs, so the above were irresistible.)

One pair of denim below the knee pants. I didn't try them on in the shop so they may yet be returned.

One Indulge breafast - poached eggs, roasted cherry tomato, toast and coffee.

One Indulge Gunpowder Green Tea.

All in all, it was a satisfying morning in the main street, only slightly marred by the fact that on meeting my mother and sister for breakfast, my sister and I were wearing the same T-shirt. Accidentally, you understand. We took a photo. I shall not inflict it upon you here. It's really more of a Facebook kind of thing.