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I watched my first Search For a Supermodel show tonight. It was the final one. I had mixed feelings about this. For those who don't know, it's this competition where Australian girls (And they really were girls, not women, many were 14-15) compete to be the Australian Supermodel of the Year by Katie Ford. The winner goes on to compete globally. I have nothing against the girls. They were all very pretty and beautiful and seemed very nice and supportive of each other but the whole thing just rubs me the wrong way. I think one of the designers said "A model's job is to make people happy." Now, I could launch into my whole preachy thing on how no one can really make us happy ---we're all responsible for our own happiness. Granted, there are people that we get along with very well who are easier to be happy with/around, etc. But in the end, no one can make us happy or unhappy unless we let them. Okay, so much for me not being preachy. ;)

There are lots of entertainers in the world. Musicians play music, artists make things, clowns do funny things, etc....models entertain by.....looking good? Now, I'll be the first to admit that I could never be a model by anyone's standards, so this isn't some "ugly girl pissed off at the world" rant. I just can't imagine what it would be like to be Katie Ford. Think about it. Her job is to judge people by the most superficial traits they have. How twisted is that? I know, I know, it's an "industry" and a "business" but I still think it's creepy. I was so annoyed at hearing her and everyone else spitting out garbage like, "You CANNOT be shorter than 5.9,'' "You CANNOT have really short hair," "You CANNOT have stretch marks," "You CANNOT have a fat ass" etc. etc. And the reason why you "can't be" a lot of these things is because you "won't fit designers' clothes." Well, geez. Why don't designers just make clothes for normal sized people? It's ridiculous because fads come and go and styles come and go, and society could learn to tolerate short people and people with bigger butts, and people who are larger than a Barbie doll, as normal people, attractive people.

And we all know that airbrushing erases stretchmarks. I guess I just don't like the idea of defining what is attractive because girls/women who are into the modelling thing take it very seriously. Defining a "standard" of attractiveness is weird to me. I understand that there are certain things that perhaps the majority of the population go for, but it's freaking 2001. I'm much more into "to each his/her own," "we all come in different shapes/sizes" thing. We're all attracted to different things. I guess I'm just tired of the stupid cookie-cutter crap. Anyhoo I just hope none of the contestants goes home feeling worthless because Katie told her she was too short or her hair wasn't long enough.

'Nite! :)

What a sleepy day today was. Warmish but rainy on and off all day. At any given point, I could have laid down on any surface (desk, floor, boardroom table) and curled up into the fetal position and taken a nice nap. I had two cups of hot chocolate today. It was just that kind of day. Okay, enough boring weather talk, but I'm a big believer of the weather affecting how energetic/upbeat I am, so it's boringly relevant.

The good news is I am officially signed up for this writing "retreat" this weekend and I'm signed up for a meditation workshop the following weekend. Next weekend we are celebrating Thanksgiving early because Jorge is going on holiday to New Zealand. I'll be contributing my "famous" mashed potatoes for the second year running. What's funny is that I took a cab back from George St because I took longer than I thought while paying for my class and the taxi driver remembered me! I did not remember him, but he said he remembered my face and finally asked if I lived on City Rd. How funny. Thank goodness he wasn't the cab driver I had a few weeks ago, who was pushing 40 and asked me for my number so he could ask me out on a date some time. Poor guy.

And I got tix for myself and two friends for next Wednesday to see John Butler Trio so that's set.Yay!

I can't believe I neglected to tell my lowly Melbourne Day Cup story yesterday---I sorta got into it and then forgot about it. It'll have to wait till tomorrow as I'm just ready to pass out into a deep sleep.

I can't get "Amazing" by Alex Lloyd out of my head:

"You were amazing
We did amazing things
I wouldn't change it
We were amazing things..."

Simple, but it gets me every time.

Work was it's usual busy self today, and a client told me I was "The Saviour." I'm thinking of putting that on my resume....

Okay, so I'm back and blogging again, kinda. This template I'm using is temporary, until I actually have time to do something to repair the damage I did tonight. ;)

Today was Melbourne Cup day, or as one cool chick likes to call it, "The Race That Stops A Nation." For those non-Aussies, reading, it's a big ol' horse race. It's also just another great reason to piss off to the pub for the arvo, and the incredible ability of finding excuses to stop working to go to the pub is just one of the many reasons why I respect Australians. (*Notice my use of the phrase "Piss off to the pub for the arvo" - that means, "Shrug off work to go to a bar for the afternoon" for all those Springfieldians out there.) Unfortunately I cannot pull off such a phrase as well verbally. I type it much better than I can say it. But I'm working on it.

So how the hell do I catch up? Way too much to cover...let's see... Went to see Legally Blonde last week. It was hilarious. Fun, easy, cute little movie. Reese Witherspoon is just adorable, and I did think of you, Kristen. ;)

I've seen some great gigs lately, including the infamous ESN, whom I'll always love even though their bass player/singer sent me a nasty computer virus (by accident) ;) I also urge people to go see up&comers, QuarterAcre, who have no website yet, but they've had some great shows lately. I expect good things from them in the near future. And you really should get along to see The Drugs for a hilarious night. And if you're up at 4am, watching Rage, you might see me. I am an extra in "Pam & Sam" and I've had several people tell me they saw me in the video, and I never warned them I was in it. I'm wearing a leopard print tank top and I'm head-banging in the mosh pit, so look for my hair. ;) I just recently saw the video for the first time and I look about 12, but oh well. I was never afraid to look like a dork for friends' sakes ;) And, of course, get yourself to see Faker while you're at it. These guys have some catchy songs that will stay in your head for ages.

I'm excited because tomorrow I'm going to be signing up for a little "writing retreat" for this weekend. I'll still be in Sydney, but I'll be spending 9am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday writing my butt off, I hope. They're going to cover all sorts of things, including how to get over procrastination, avoidance, and writer's block, and they'll be teaching helpful Buddhists' philosophies for writers. I'm looking forward to it. Only bummer is I'll miss a good portion of the Newtown Festival, but no pain, no gain! Then the following weekend, I'll be taking a meditation seminar. I know, I sound like I'm turning into some sort of new agey freak, but I'm into trying different things at the moment. I've done the Tai Chi, which I loved, and want to continue with sometime soon, and now I'm eager to give meditation a whirl. My mind races non-stop, I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about things I have to do the next day, it's all a bit silly, really. I have my own relaxation techniques, but it can't hurt to learn some more tricks that have been used thousands of years. I suppose I'll have to sign up for Yoga next, just to keep up with my touchy feely spiritual self. Oprah would be so proud. ;)

Also going to run down to The Metro tomorrow to grab some tix for the John Butler Trio show next Wednesday. Friday night has sold out, so I wanna get in quick. They were amazing last time I saw them (June and then John solo in July) so I'm verrrrrrrrry excited. Last time I saw 'em I wanted to go home and really play my guitar until my fingers bled, so I'm hoping this show will have the same effect.

I guess my other big news is that I have a new "pseudo-stalker." Most (i.e. none) of my friends will be particularly surprised by this. I attract weirdos all the time. But this guy is quite the character. Unfortunately he's grown annoying lately by ringing me at work and mailing me items that indicate he just has way too much free time on his hands. In any case, one good thing has come out of this. I have a new idea for a script based on his antics, so that's something. I can find inspiration in the unlikeliest of places.

Sweet dreams!