In translation

In my Screenwriting class, we've been analyzing different types of genre and narratives. We took a look at Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO.

Here's a bit of a plot outline if you haven't seen it for a while: In the first third of the film, Marion Crane steals $40 000 from her office and runs away with it on a dark and stormy night. Her plan is to rendezvous with her boyfriend and begin a life together with the cash.
I prefer my lecturer's description of the plot up to this point:
"So Marion's nicked the money and done a runner. Really, she's a good girl and just wants to be happy with her bloke."

I was waiting for the bit when he would tell us that she "karked it" in the shower.

Did you know?

There isn't a Bill of Rights in the Australian Constitution, so the fundamental rights and freedoms of everyone living in Australia aren't protected by the law. Go figure!
I learned this in my Journalism class yesterday. Some of the Australian students were as surprised as I was.

Apparently the libel and defamation laws are pretty harsh. Here in Oz, the truth is not necessarily enough defense for a journalist.

Pros in the Water

Jasmina and I took the day off on Tuesday and headed to Bells Beach to watch some of the Rip Curl Pro. The swell at Bells when we arrived.
The Board. We watched some great surfing from Jeremy Flores and Adriano DeSouza in their respective heats. We just missed an exciting heat with Kelly Slater (9 time World Surfing Title Holder) in the water... ....but we saw Mick Fanning signing autographs in the car park! We got there in time to watch the competition move to WinkiPop, the break next to Bells. The crowds were out! The weather was gorgeous! We climbed over a fence and sat on the cliffs (illegally!) to watch a couple heats. Here are the security guards making the rounds and giving everyone the first warning. The surf was going off, and conditions were pretty perfect for some epic surfing.
A grainy shot of a "sick cutty"....and then we went surfing ourselves!

On the Beach

How cute is this little kid? I met Sheila, Sue and their little guy, Finn on the Mornington Penninsula before Easter. It wasn't a particularly warm day, and we dodged some rain clouds when we went into a cafe for smoothies and coffees.

Marty McFly shops here

Best name for a store EVER!

I am SO not Sylvia Plath

This is our old school gas stove. You manually light the flame on the stovetop burners, in the grill and the oven sections.
It scared the bejesus out of me at first. Images of Sylvia Plath and gas explosions made me avoid the griller and oven for a week. I've moved past that, and now I am working on unlocking the secret of how to bake the perfect batch of brownies in this oven...

Inside #5

The dunny. Enough said.
















The bathroom is really very big. The shower curtain is lame and came with the place. It will go soon.

If we hadn't hired the washer, and created a laundry area, then we could have moved in a dining room table and held dinner parties in there! Maybe we still will.

The "Before"

Our apartment entry.
It looks povo now, but watch this space.
It will transform -- a little.
Aussie term: POVO
Definition: adj. poor; poverty stricken





The threshold.
Neither Damian nor I take credit for this, but I'm guessing some previous tenant lost part of their bond.
(Bond = Damage Deposit)

Living on the Northside

This week, I moved to Northcote. My worldly possessions in Australia fit nicely into a beat up old van I hired for a few hours from Rent-a-Bomb. (Does this give you an idea of the vintage and condition of the vehicle?! The manual choke freaked me out.)
The new pad is not fancy, but it's clean and big and bright!
It's a ground floor flat in an apartment block on the corner of Westgarth and Green. (That's us just below the mountain bike suspended from our neighbour's railing! I can't decide if that bike adds a student vibe or a ghetto vibe to the place.)

The train station is a 5 minute walk, and the tram stop and High Street shops are just past the station. There's a footy oval across the street, and a park right beside it. Check it out on Google Maps!
The new address for those who like to send mail:

5/147 Westgarth St.
Northcote, VIC 3070
Australia

Geography Lesson

Heard this week in a Year 10 English classroom in Melbourne:

Random student: Miss! Miss! Where in CANADIA are you from?

"Miss": CANADIA? I've never been to CANADIA.