Happy thirtieth issue "Frankie"!

Considering I got this issue in the mail on Monday, I probably should have posted this already, but I haven't and so here I am to tell you all a little something about "Frankie" Issue 30.
The first thing I always check in "Frankie" is the art poster. The artist this issue was Ghost Patrol and the poster was a picture of a "little guy and his mystical creature sharing a milkshake". There's a red pattern behind the two of them, giving an otherwise simple picture some colour. In my opinion, it's one of the nicest posters they've had in a while.
Next I perusal over to "Frank Bits". Some of the highlights this issue included: Angus Stone, Mark Everett of The Eels, Jenny Wilson, some lovely badges and possibly the cutest scarf I have ever seen from Victoria n' Bird. But I'd have to say the real gem in these pages this time were an adorable pair of handmade shoes made from vintage materials by "Dames and Divas. Sigh.
The Photographer Alex Prager was featured and her pictures are serene to the point of unease and also awesome. There's something incredibly eerie about staged shots. "Music Talks" featured PJ Harvey and Peaches, neither of whom I know very well, but I've been meaning to give PJ Harvey a listen for a while now- clearly this was a sign. "Creative People" were "Creatives Outside the City Limits". Gabrielle Miller's shop "The Gigi Bazaar" really caught my eye- definitely worth a read.
The fashion this issue was very pretty but bothered me in the way magazine "winter" fashion always does: they all seem to think that slapping a pair of tights on under a dress makes it a winter outfit. Tights are not that warm.
My favourite articles this issue are "apologetics" by Jana Roose an ex-bully who's ever so sorry and "wasted words" in which Marieke Hardy gets her feminist on and asks why "the great literary drunks are all men".
But the happiest surprise I came upon this issue (except for possibly that adorable scarf) was "Homebodies". Already one of my absolute favourite sections, this issue it featured none other than the ab fab, ever so brill Sarah Blasko!
That's only a tiny fraction of what this issue holds. It's one of the best issues I've read (my favourites were 19 and 29 but this is coming in 3rd or 4th), and you should definitely get your hands on it before it gets cold....not that "Frankie" ever does.
Cat xx

I'm hounored, really I am...

It seems incredibly wrong that I'm being robbed of my education. Here at my school we have duty students. Today I'm on role which means that all day instead of being in class I have to go around to all the year nine and ten classes and take attendance. For me, this is awesome. I don't have to go to class and I still get most of each period off. Also, because all year tens are at work experience the job gets done in minutes and for the rest of the time I just read. So it's good for me. But what about the student who has a science test the next day and needs to revise? Or the one who ends up with a pile of homework that could rival Mt. Everest? There is some flexibility: you can swap days etc, but only so much can be done. In fact I think this means I'm going to fall behind in maths. I could swap...nah.
Cat xx

The beach smells strange these days...

I was in Healthy Lifestyles For Girls a while ago (a lovely class in every way *cough*) and I was talking to one of my friends and she smelled like the beach. I told her this, quite confused at the fact and it was as I was speaking that I realized: she was wearing sunscreen! It's that subconscious, that kind of association and I know its not just me because I've seen others make the same mistake and I must admit, I've wondered what was wrong with them, but nothing is. It's fascinating. People are so used to smelling sunscreen at the beach that anytime they smell it they wonder "Why does it smell like the beach?". I actually find it really nice, sort of bringing summer with me everywhere. I should really try wearing sunscreen! Apparently it's good for you in some way as well!!
Cat xx

Dum dum dee dum...

My absolutely favourite songs at this particular point in time...

1- Fun Fun Fun by The Beach Boys
2- The Good Old Days by Eels
3- Lonely Moon by The Cat Empire
4- Not Fair by Lily Allen
5- I Like You Better When You're Not Around by Kate Miller-Heidke
6- Father and Son by Cat Stevens
7- Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis Presley
8- Trampoline by The Grates
9- Little Red by Kate Nash
10- Jackie Cooper by Little Red
11- Sausos and Tinnies by The Little Stevies
12- Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkle
13- Lazy Sunday by The Small Faces
14- Moondance by Van Morrison
15- Baba O'Riley by The Who
Cat xx
PS- This list follows no particular order.

The fact is, lip gloss should taste good...

I find it confusing and upsetting when non-living things deceive me without trying, and non-living things tend not to try. It makes me feel stupid. So when things smell delicious but taste disgusting it's very disgruntling. And what do I do when I am disgruntled by something? I post a blog list about it of course! So here are a few things that smell delicious, but which I have learned the hard way, taste disgusting...
1. Cocoa- Ahh it smells so chocolaty and good and every time i take it out of my cupboard to make something the scent wafts so temptingly up to my nose I so want to taste some, give in to the draw, but on the occasions that I do, I end up spitting it into the sink. It's cruel really. How can something that smells so sweet taste so incredibly bitter???
2. Flowers- Now before you screw up your face in disgust and yell "She eats flowers??", note that I learnt how disgusting they taste at a very young age. But still it's ever so sad that the taste has never and will never live up to the heavenly scent! I swear, it just makes no sense. Humph!
3. Lip gloss- this is possibly the worst, the most ridiculous of this category. You have to wear it on your lips right? And it smells sweet, succulent and delicious, right? Ok so maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic, but why is it that in most cases it just tastes like new car?
I just don't understand why it has to be that way. I dream of the day when nice smells and delicious tastes can walk hand in hand through the world, delighting us all. Is that really so much to ask? REALLY?
Cat xx

You're nothing but a deck of cards...

I was virtually strolling through Flickr when I came across an "Alice in Wonderland" themed photo. So I decided to search "Alice in wonderland" and I found such lovely photos that I decided to put some of them in this post....

Wouldn't you love to escape to Wonderland?

Cat xx

I'm crying for my shattered illusion...

I've been watching old(ish) Disney cartoons and I've noticed something. "Winnie the Pooh" is not a simple, innocent child's story-come-movie. Oh no. We have been fooled to think such things, manipulated in fact! I suppose this refers back to this post about old fairy tales, but this is different. In that situation the stories were sick and twisted, but the Disney versions made for young children, were modified. "Winnie the Pooh" on the other hand, is just plain depressing. Think about it: a stupid bear, chronically fearful pig thing, a control-freak miserable rabbit, a know it all owl, an orphan tiger, a depressed donkey and the schizophrenic boy who imagines them all. The only normal ones are Kanga and Roo. So my question is: What. The. Hell? Why make such sad characters? Why try and make us feel so sorry for them? I almost cried in both Tigger and Piglets big movies! Can humans not deal with normal characters at a young age? My second question about the now terrifying "Winnie the Pooh" is: why do I like it so much??? My third is: why is he called Pooh?!
Cat xx

My latest obsession...

I've been watching "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" on YouTube. It's actually really good, not one of those shows that was really bad, but that I haven't watched since I was too young to notice. unfortunately I can't find much of season 2 on YouTube, so I've skipped ahead a bit. It's really funny and I absolutely love Hilda and Salem. Who wouldn't like a show that features a cat hungry for world domination? So basically, I'm just saying you should most certainly watch it!
Cat xx

Murphy is cruel...

If existence is completely random, as many of my friends as well as I pretty much believe, being an atheist, then that means that for no particular reason, the universe, solar system, planet, everything we ever have, do and will know, just came into being for no reason at all. Now that's completely, utterly mind blowing, and yes of course I'm thankful not only that anything/everything exists at all but also that I am a human and not, i dunno, a dung beetle. But, I have a small Murphy's law type complaint: Why couldn't eating junk food be good for you instead of exercise? HUH???
Cat xx

The inner poet in me...

doesn't exist. Really. Poetry is hard! It has to be either funny or meaningful to be good and god knows I can't do funny so that leaves meaningful. Then there's the balance between "Wow, I really get what she's trying to say" and "Wow, not only is that a complete piece of crap, but it's so cheesy that I think I have to go and throw up now. Excuse me." If you're lucky enough to find this balance you then have to make it so it's compressed enough to be poetry, but people can still understand the message. You tend to go for "Oh, I feel so moved by those few but powerful words" not "Oh, does she have that thing where she just spits out random words as they come to her? How sad." Unfortunately, my occasional attempt poetry has no balance, and anybody who reads will be both queasy and under the impression that I'm mentally ill. Ah well...
Cat xx

It never rains but it pours...

We live in a world of extremes. As it said in "An Inconvenient Truth", climate change is intensifying the weather. Extreme droughts, floods, typhoons etc. So, we've been in a drought practically my whole life and in summer we're all frittering away in the sun, burning and slowly becoming cancerous. Then, along comes winter and it's freeeeeezing cold. Seriously, I cannot remember a day colder than today. I walked to music after school today and I swear I'm lucky that I still have my fingers and toes. It started to rain and I was running and I couldn't feel my toes and just a few moments after I stepped into my music teachers house, it started to hail. Oh god, the cold. I mean, as I've already said, I'm all for winter when I'm safe indoors but not when I'm forced to experience it. Not complaining or anything...
Cat xx

Some things are just unacceptable...

There's something that needs to be said. Now, I'm not much of a fashion type person, but there are a few things that I simply can not stand. I know I sound like a snob, but it needs to be hammered into everybody's brains that some things are just criminal. Double denim. I'm not even sure exactly what's so awful about it, but it may be the fact that it looks like a suit, but is made in such casual, traditionally for working type material. It's terrible. Don't do it. Ever....Cute top hat though.

Cat xx

Poetry is alot harder than it looks...

Aged statues crumble,
Autumn leaves float to the earth,
Life reaches its end.

That is a haiku that I wrote for my creative writing class. I love that class, it's amazing. Anyway I hope you like it.
Cat xx

Some girls have it so easy. Not real ones though...

I've been thinking about the effect of the media on youths and everything that people say is wrong with the way people are portrayed in TV shows and movies. Now I believe that mostly people think that young girls for example, are made to be too perfect in these shows. That they are beautiful, intelligent, funny and just basically great in every aspect of their lives. In many cases I agree with this, but there are other ways that characters these days are unrealistic, and it's almost the opposite.
Many of the characters in movies and shows that I've seen lately are far from perfect. They screw up, make an idiot of themselves and fail at school. In fact some characters are incredibly realistic. I know what you're thinking: "Isn't that a good thing?". It should be. These characters are like us, but their lives couldn't be more different. After they screw up these characters barely have to mumble an apology before they have all their friends back and are forgiven by their parents. And apparently incredibly stupid and sometimes rude behaviour is appealing, because these girls also always get the guy. So what I'm wondering is this: is it better to have perfect characters that we real life girls are never going to think are real or have realistic characters with perfect lives making us think that we're going to get what we want no matter how we baehave? If you don't agree with me, watch "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging". That girl is horrible! Awesome movie though...
Cat xx

Oh wouldn't it be loverly...

I was at choir performance thing today. My mum is in a choir called "Shaking the Tree". "Shaking the Tree" performed, as well as another choir, "Expressive Women" and a few members performed their own solo songs as well. One of the solo artists was explaining her song and she said that when she lived in the country in a huge open area she could look out to the horizon and see where it was raining and where it wasn't. Living in Melbourne I've never even thought of something like that and I just found the imagery breathtakingly beautiful.
Cat xx

An Inconvenient Truth...

That movie is flat out scary. We watched it in science this week because we're writing a film report. I'm all for the environment and saving the Earth, I really am. However, I think I'm suffering from anxiety after watching it. Apparently the ocean is going to kill us all. I could not look as the animated diagrams showed us what's going to happen to all the different countries if Antarctica melts. It. Is. Scary.
I just think it's sad that most people in my class will watch a movie like that and think for about 5 minutes that global warming is awful and that we should all do something but then get home, turn on their heaters, TVs and computers and let it slip out of their minds entirely. I should stop doing that...
Cat xx

She's all alone. She's loving it...

My younger sister, father and mother (i.e. everyone who lives at my place but me) are out watching Amy perform recorder, and although I am supportive of my sister's creative talents, I don't think either of us care if I see her performing or not. That's why I am currently home all alone, listening to Elvis and writing this blog as the water for my pasta boils.
Ah to be independent. Who's to stop me from doing something truly insane like listening to the TV and music at the same time? I'll tell you who: No one. So far since I got home I've: had a coffee (my parents would not approve), watched "Scrubs", loaded some music onto iTunes, written a blog, practised piano, practised recorder, called my Grandma, started the pasta and started to write this. That's right. I am a complete rebel. I bet you wish you could be crazy like me.
But seriously, I love to be able to just kick back, and leave my chores until 5 minutes before my parents get back. To be in control is an incredibly great feeling. So lets think, is it the ability to relax that I love, or the lack of authority. Hum dum, there's a thought. I'm about to mull it over, all alone...
Cat xx

Cold, grey and happy happy days...

It's here. I've always known it was coming, but now that it has I'm much much happier than I ever thought I would be. Winter has arrived. And with comes the peace of knowing that I wont have to deal with the heat for a good 6 months or so. See, it's not that I love the cold exactly. It's that I know in winter that I can rug up against the weather. In summer there really isn't anything you can do about it. So I'm going to get under my doona with a delicious hot chocolate and watch as much "Scrubs" as I want.
Cat xx
P.S. Note to self: Post a blog about "Scrubs".