The annual school ball was on last night, and the theme for the event was masquerade. Which meant that I did have the opportunity to cover up a lot of my face which is definitely a bonus for everyone else!
Thanks to a friend, I managed to get out of even buying a dress for the occasion, but I stupidly invested in some seriously psychotic high heels that I almost necked myself in. Luckily, I didn't get smashed or I tell you it would've been knees up Mother Brown in a heart beat! 
I was a lot more exposed than I am at all comfortable with, making every visit to the toilet a series of revolting thoughts when I glimpsed my flabby upper arms and protruding belly in the mirror. Nothing like a formal dress or a pair of bathers to highlight all the reasons that I need to exercise a lot more.
I have no idea how women do this sort of business regularly though, because today my feet hurt from those hideous shoes, my head hurts from the crazy yanked up high pony-tail and my purse hurts from the drink prices. But was it fun? Of course it was; and after all the whinging is said and done, I had a really great night and a lot of laughs. And bonus - I won a $50 fruit and veg voucher in the raffle - good times! Seriously though, you know you're getting old when you start to who-rah about bloody free fruit! 

THIS IS 40 
Release Date: 2012
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 133 mins
I find Judd Apatow movies can be a bit hit and miss, but this one was very relatable for me and not just because I turned 40 this year myself but more for the realistic banter between the onscreen couple that I felt was very insightful indeed. 
Pete and Debbie are having a mid life crisis. They are both turning 40, struggling with their jobs, drowning in debt and being driven mad by their children. They must learn to find common ground and pull together as adults to deal with their failing situations and bodies!
Paul Rudd is great as Pete, just enough middle aged spread to be convincing. I do wish that they hadn't used Judd Apatow's wife Leslie Mann as Debbie, because she is clearly an insanely good looking 40 something, which just kind of me feel a little inadequate really. Someone more real would've given this movie a lot more merit, but in the end it was still an amusing watch for people that are turning 40(ish) and have been in a long term marriage with kids. 
FINAL SAY: Freakishly relatable!
3.5 Chili Peppers

Zoe had her final day of secondary school this week. Oh that last day! The last chance to walk the hallways, answer to teachers and talk smack about your peers before embarking on a most terrifying and exciting journey that we all know as 'life as an adult'. 
It is a truly challenging time for young adults as they struggle with exam anxieties and the prospect of the world unfolding before them. I am actually feeling anxious for Zoe and she is one of the most settled Year 12's I know - God only knows what other parents must be thinking. 
Like all rites of passage there is always a tumultuous time as an adolescent transitions into the realms of adulthood; it is a time for redefining core values, re-evaluating responsibilities and shedding off an old way of being. This mostly happens through osmosis, but essentially it is happening and its pretty tricky business if I recall correctly.
It can really seem like the world is a giant tangle of red tape and responsibility. Pass your VCE, get a job, get a license, move out of home, enrol to vote, go to University, be successful, be graceful, be kind and above all get off your arse you're an adult now! It is easy to forget just how horrid and challenging this stage is. I know that I was fucking useless, and I made a shit load of mistakes and fell into a lot of holes along the way. 
Easy to say 'well that's just growing up' but Christ it's hard to watch the ones you love so dearly taking those first steps into adulthood. I am a mixture of worry and vicarious excitement, but I guess that's just another way of saying I'm Zoe's mum and I only want the very best for her. 

THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Release Date: 1985
Rating: M
Running Time: 97 mins
Another amusing and at times quite dramatic teen movie from the coming of age king - John Hughes. 
When five high school students from different stereotypes come together for a weekend detention, they soon realise that although they have different interests and upbringings, they have a lot in common.
The brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess and the criminal are all pouring out their hearts and exposing themselves with teen drama and high antics, making this an enjoyable and entertaining watch. 
Molly Ringwald reprises her role as the cutesy teen Claire, Emilio Estevez gives merit to jock Andrew, Anthony Michael Hall is of course geeky Brian, Ally Sheedy plays a convincing 80's emo and Judd Nelson is super cool as bad boy John, another feather in John Hughes' cap for sure. 
FINAL SAY: Don't you forget about me.
4 Chili Peppers 

Spent quite a bit of time in my vegetable patch on Saturday. Pulling the last of the Winter vegetables out and prepping the garden for a Spring plant. I am pretty new at this veggie growing business, having only started in January, but I am very keen. I already had a number of strawberry plants donated by my mum that were waiting to go in, so they were the first new additions and hopefully we will get to enjoy their red deliciousness over the coming weeks. I think I may even be brave enough to tackle some tomatoes and corn this season, my first two crops were really fruitful and definitely worth the time and effort. Never thought I'd get so damn domesticated, but country living- it does stuff to you!
 
Word had spread to me about a new African restaurant that had opened in Ballarat, and I can't say that have eaten a lot of African food, so naturally being utterly food driven as I am I ventured out to sample something new. 
With the help of a good friend and Zoe, we managed to gorge our way through 8 small tasting dishes, most of them vegetarian and even better for me gluten free! Word of advise for new goers, ask for the rice on the side not the African flatbread, it is very lemony and although I couldn't have it myself - the feedback from my group was tepid at best. Overall I think that it is only fair to say that I am now a fan of Ethiopian food because it was very satisfying and good in a simplistic and wholesome way; and thanks to my entertainment book app also extremely cheap.
 
Unfortunately, I have really had to be a bit of a scabby knuckles lately aka. tight arse. Saving for our trip to Bali amid rates, bills, insurance and house payments has been really horrid. We are serious house poor at the moment, which no-ones wants to be. I keep telling myself that all this scrimping and saving will be worth it for our trip, but I am not used to having to save this hard and this quickly and to be honest, it is really stressful! Hopefully November will bring some peace of mind because the bills have been thick and fast this month. 

Rounded out my Saturday night with an escape to the cinema (el cheapo tickets only thanks!) to enjoy Richard Linklater's newest offering. 

BOYHOOD 
Release Date: 2014 
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 165 mins
A quintessential coming of age story, outlining one boy's life journey from age 6 to 18. Linklater spent 12 years putting this movie together, using the same entire cast to give more depth and meaning to every era of Mason's development.
Mason (Ellar Coltrane) doesn't have the most interesting or exciting life, he is just a normal boy growing up and meeting challenges day to day. But this is not a film that seeks to delve too deeply, but rather skate it's viewers across the surface of the everyday and often mundane events and pitfalls that just occur along the path to finding ourselves. 
The time periods are like a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The clothing, the hairstyles, the major events, the gaming choices and the soundtrack all tell a story and perfectly help capture each moment in time. 
Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke are fabulous as Mason's parents; constantly changing, ebbing and flowing along side of their children as they too develop their own lives and circumstances. Richard Linklater's own daughter Lorelei Linklater does a great job of her role as Samantha, Mason's older sister. 
This movie is set to become a modern classic, not just because it's breaking new ground in movie making but also because it is has so much going on that could be explored in much greater depth. 
FINAL SAY:  You only get to grow up once. 
4 Chili Peppers 

It is extremely interesting being a non-catholic in a catholic work environment. Not bad, just interesting. I have observed both the power and the prejudice that comes from devout religion at my work. I have seen people demonstrate their devotion in both loving and intolerant ways, but mostly I believe that my observations have led me to a deeper understanding of what a community is, and that is certainly not a bad experience to be a part of. If anything, at times it has been quite wonderful to witness. 
It is of little or no consequence to me which religion people choose to put their faith into. Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Wiccan, Jewish, Christianity or anything else - it makes no difference. Because people are not defined by what they place their faith in, they are defined by what they do in their everyday lives. 
I personally have absolutely no issue with any religion that offers people hope, if it is faith that you require than I say have it. Craig and I were both predominantly raised in a catholic environment, my grandmother who practically raised me in my pre-school years was an extremely devote catholic and spent many hours either in church or thinking about church. This never stopped her from gossiping about her community or being stubborn to a fault, but it did give her an anchor to tether herself to during difficult times and something to believe in.
I think we all need something to believe in. I also do not believe that it has to be in the form of an interventionist God. If a person is only good because they are looking for a divine reward in the afterlife, then that person is an asshole. Simply having faith does not make one good or better than someone else. From my experiences, some people that claim to be religious are about as corrupt as they come. Not because their choice of faith is poor, but because they have poor character. 
The bottom line is that faith is a choice, just as much as kindness and charity. But I would rather see people adopt a more sound approach to things like fraternity, humility, equality and justice than I would like to see people hanging their hat on faith alone. It's totally okay for people to love their God, it's just vital that they don't get bogged down with all of the dogma and lose sight of the bigger picture. 

THE WIZARD OF OZ 
Release Date: 1939
Rating: PG
Running Time: 102 mins 
It's an MGM golden oldie alright, but those bloody flying monkeys still manage to creep little kids out even today! It's difficult to say what I like best about this film, is it the ruby slippers? Maybe it's all that singing that Dorothy does, or maybe it's some link to my own childhood that I find so engaging, who really cares? It's a classic that speaks volumes about faith, girl power and bitches fighting over shoes. 
When Dorothy's house gets blow away by a massive twister, she awakens to find herself in the magical Land of Oz. Oz is a joyful place, filled with munchkin people and good witches, but in order to get home again Dorothy must get her wish granted by a wizard. Seems simple enough, until the Wicked Witch of the West turns up demanding her ruby slippers back that magically ended up on Dorothy's feet after her house squashed the wicked witches sister to death, who just happened to be wearing them at the time. 
Anyway, Dorothy has to avoid the green faced witch (and her creepy flying monkeys) and get to the wizard by following a yellow brick road. Along the way she befriends a tin man, a scarecrow and a lion that all need their wishes granted too. It's all really weird, but somehow it works! 
Oz is captured in brilliant technicolor brightness and home back in Kansas in black and white, which was a clever and exciting new idea back in the 1930's. Judy Garland is so young and adorable as Dorothy, and man she sure can sing and dance! But it was always Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West that really freaked me out as a kid, she's just so deliciously evil!
FINAL SAY: I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!
3 Chili Peppers

A glorious weekend of sun and starlit night skies to make everyone feel more alive and invigorated. Nothing can substitute the ultimate power of a weekend of fabulous weather, even my ancient old cat stretched her paws and ventured outdoors for a dose of vitamin D. 
I got hyper productive and kicked off the Spring cleaning by washing all of my windows, which is not my favourite thing to do at all, but necessary. Craig mowed the lawns, we both hit the garden (and the whiskey!) and the kids enjoyed a little Frisbee in the late afternoons. 
Now that daylight savings time has arrived, that extra hour of daylight affords the most wondrous afternoon kick backs on the deck with a drink in hand and our fave tunes on the stereo, and you can't help but feel like life is good in every way. And the night skies, just wow really. So clear and infinite, one of the real perks of living out of town is definitely the Spring/Summer evenings that offer a chance for midnight marvels and dusky delights. 
Time is really starting to amp up now, with everything building up momentum from now until Christmas. Zoe sits upon the precipice of her VCE exams, and the realisation that soon she will be an adult and all of the extra responsibilities that come with that; not easy growing up as I recall. And judging by the fact that Zoe seems to be supremely stressed out, I'd say all of the realities are weighing heavily upon her mind. These are all transitional, but painful to watch as a parent because it also hales the inevitability that soon your little darling won't be around as much anymore. Horror! Hard to imagine, and a reality that I have not come to terms with yet at all....lets just pop that one aside for another day. 
Distraction please!

PERFUME:
THE STORY OF A MURDERER
Release Date: 2006
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 147 mins
German director Tom Tykwer, best known for Run Lola Run and more recently Cloud Atlas, won great acclaim and 15 different cinematic awards off the back of his period drama Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. And I can see why, this movie is both visually appealing and completely intriguing; and a brilliant adaptation of the book Das Parfum by Patrick Susskind. 
Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born in the filthy squalor of the 18th century Parisian streets. Born without any body scent himself, he is highly attuned to the smells of the world around him, able to discern odours that others cannot even detect. He creates the most luscious perfumes ever smelt, however his lust for the most perfect scent takes Jean-Baptiste on a very dark journey indeed. 
Ben Whishaw is tremendous as Jean-Baptiste, mesmerising and convincingly obsessed with his olfactory senses. Dustin Hoffman and Alan Rickman offer strong support roles and Rachel Hurd-Wood is insanely stunning as the red-haired beauty Laura Richis. 
This is pretty dark stuff, but I was completely moved in every way by this movie. It is a sensual and disturbing romp that may not be to everyone's liking, but I adored it. 
FINAL SAY: A must smell!
4.5 Chili Peppers

Only a few days into a brand new Term and already the cracks are starting to show. Maybe it's the ever changing weather, maybe it's just that time of the year; whatever the reason, I have been witnessing epic meltdowns on a daily basis and it ain't pretty. 
It's all really got me to thinking about the way that we operate as fellow humans. I have been highly attuned to the way that people communicate lately, nothing sinister or invasive, just a little silent observing of the behaviours of others. And I gotta tell you, that not only are a lot of people generally self involved assholes but they are also very unkind to themselves. 
I find that a lot of people are only motivated by what they can get out of you, hardly ever what they can do for you. I also find people's complete inability to communicate with a level of respect to others, utterly gob-smacking! I mean no one seems to give shit what they say or do, or the implications that their behaviours have on other people. 
And the bad mojo rising - please! It's hard to watch people getting around like the jam is out of their donuts all the time when they have so much to be thankful for. What kind of people are we? What hope has the next generation got when everyone is so bloody blinkered all the time? I would love to kick humanity up the arse sometimes, but I think that it's just the current climate that is making me also extremely sensitive to the ridiculousness of others. It is an unfortunate side effect of going back to work after being away from it all. 
So just hand me the Spackle, it's time to fix some cracks and move forward with a snippet of decorum before this whole things turns into shards of shit. 

BULLY
Release Date: 2011
Rating: M
Running Time: 98 mins
This documentary is a must see for everyone, but essential viewing for anyone that works with children or has children of their own. It's thought provoking material about a problem that we as all too often turn a blind eye to.
This year over 13 million kids will be bullied at school, online, on the bus, at home, on their phones and in the streets of their towns. BULLY is the first feature length documentary to show how we have all been affected by bullying, whether we've been victims, perpetrators or silent witnesses. 
This documentary really highlights all of the problems out there; but unfortunately doesn't deliver any real solutions aside from making us all more aware, so you're just left feeling pretty helpless and sad in the end.
FINAL SAY: It's a lot tougher for kids than we may think
3 Chili Peppers

Sometimes the only way that I can get through the really crappy times is to distract myself with pointless comedy. This generally comes in the form of some random Tim and Eric Awesome Show material or a YouTube favourite, of which I have many. 
Zoe and I have collected a number of stupid and yet also highly entertaining clips that we go back to time and time again when we just need a short 2 minute burst of mindless humor. 
So next time you are feeling a little low, I recommend that you check out any of these non-PC beauties on YouTube and get an instant hit of happiness.  

• Asian Backstreet Boys 
  
• Axis of Awesome – 4 Chord Songs
• Charlie the Unicorn 1, 2 and 3
  
• Cody the Dog 
  
• Cool Guys Don’t look at Explosions
  
• Crazy Double Rainbow Guy
  
• Dramatic Look (follow with Dramatic sloth)
• How to trick people into thinking you are good looking 
  
• I’m Fucking Matt Damon
  
• I’m Fucking Ben Affleck
  
• Invisible Drum Kit – Rowan Atkinson
  
• JubJub – balances all the things
  
• Late for a meeting 
  
• LARP Avatar
  
• Literal Dead Island- Tobuscus
  
• Matsumoto versus Hamada – Reverse Game
  
• Miley Cyrus – Wrecking Ball (Chatroulette version)- Steve Kardynal
  
• Ninja Baby
  
• Pussydoodles
  
• Rejected -  Best Oscar Award Winner Movie
  
• Star wars kid
  
• Sunny Dee and Rum
  
• T-SHIRT WAR!!
  
• The Effects of Drugs on Spiders
  
• The Happiest DJ in the World
  
• This is…Japan World Cup 3
  
• Will Ferrell and Pearl (The Landlord)
  
• What What??
  
• Who’s your favourite? 
  
• Worst Choir ever?

Need something more substantial than a YouTube clip? No problem, go and watch this movie again - it's a pisser! 

Last night I had a strange and rather unsettling dream. You know those dreams that you have when you wake up and you are so glad that none of it was real, and that your life is actually fine because in your dream it was horrid. Yeah, one of those! 
In my dream I was actually visited by Death. The actual person/ thing called Death. He had a smokey head and hands, like he was made out of mist and he wore a smart suit and a bowler hat, very sophisticated indeed. His voice came from somewhere unknown, since he didn't appear to have a mouth or even a face for that matter. 
Anyway, he gave me a horrific choice that I had to make, one way or the other without compromise. I honestly hated them both, but there seemed to be a clearly more noble option. It took me a while to get my head around it all, and I must say that considering that he was Death (and therefore one would think his opinion was of little importance) he had a lot to say and really made me weigh it all up. This process was exhausting and obviously I was pissing Death off with my questions because before I knew it he got all Grim Reaper on my arse and changed into a cranky skeleton wearing a scrappy, hooded, billowing black robe - more tradition attire one would say. Next minute he's dragging the hideous old crones out (the Fates) that seem to have my life force in their hands and a mighty big pair of scissors, and then I'm.... awake!
Sweating like a sinner in church and weeping my eyes out, and actually waking myself up shouting "I'm not ready!" Bloody hell, I don't go to sleep for that shit - I'm blaming it all on the cold and flu tablets that I had before I went to bed, they tripped me right out! 
I know that you're dying to know what he asked me to decide on, but I have this theory about repeating bad things, because I believe that words have power, so I'm not going to tell you. But if I should die sometime soon lets just say that maybe there was more to Death's visit than just a fleeting dream! 

WAKING LIFE
Release Date: 2001
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 101 mins 
Richard Linklater takes us into the odd and unpredictable world of dreams in this exciting animation/live role film that explores not just dreaming, but also about the philosophies of life itself. 
Waking Life follows one man through a series of dreams as he attempts to discern the difference between his real life and the fabric of his dreams. As he dreams, he meets various characters that share their own opinions about conscious reality, subconscious reality, life, death and the deeper mysteries that lie within us all. 
This movie probes its viewers to think about what their dreams are trying to tell them, it really is a movie for the thinkers, the ponderers and especially the dreamers. 
FINAL SAY: Hey, are you a dreamer? 
4 Chili Peppers