It's official, the school term has commenced and all of the excitement of a brand new school year is well underway. The smell of fresh stationary fills the air, the shine of un-scuffed linoleum squeaks under foot and the perfectly sharpened tips of many unused pencils are all lined up in anticipation of the children's return on Monday.
There is something quite wonderful about the beginning of new school year. The well groomed children arriving with tanned and eager faces, filing in through the front door on that very first morning filled with a heady mixture of fear and hope. And for some, it's an all important chance to make a fresh start, make a new friend or get a better mark on their next report. It's different for every kid, some can't wait to get back, others can't wait for the next lot of holidays; and I think that if I am being really honest about it, it is also that way for some of the staff.
I will never forget my first day of Prep, only four years old and supremely under socialised. After having spent most of my pre-school years playing alone in the chook sheds and vegie patches of every Ukrainian resident in Ardeer, I was overwhelmed by the variety of things that were on offer at school. Paints, pencils, playdough, brightly coloured papers and scissors, clag and most excitingly BOOKS! Not just any books either; these were huge, big, bright and highly illustrated books.
I loved school instantly, and in particular I fell in love with the library. I recall slipping off to the library after school one day in Prep. This was not something I was encouraged to do, it was something I just chose to do, chose to do instead of walking home, which led to everyone to believe that I had been abducted. They found me some hours later thanks to a school cleaner that got a quite a start when she stumbled upon me sitting in a comfy beanbag reading Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar around 5pm. Well, it was a bloody good read, all those holes to poke your fingers into - riveting! It is still one of my favourite kids books and I can still get lost for hours with a good book in a beanbag, so nothing has changed there.
And I guess I still love a lot about school too, or I wouldn't still be in one. As a kid it was a place of routine, predictability and adults that actually wanted to talk you, it was a good place to be. And although not all of my school days were perfect, I do have some very fond memories of primary school, especially the first day back with perfect plaits, shiny shoes, new exercise books and super pointy grey lead HB pencils. Ah school days, some of us just never grow out of it!
There is something quite wonderful about the beginning of new school year. The well groomed children arriving with tanned and eager faces, filing in through the front door on that very first morning filled with a heady mixture of fear and hope. And for some, it's an all important chance to make a fresh start, make a new friend or get a better mark on their next report. It's different for every kid, some can't wait to get back, others can't wait for the next lot of holidays; and I think that if I am being really honest about it, it is also that way for some of the staff.
I will never forget my first day of Prep, only four years old and supremely under socialised. After having spent most of my pre-school years playing alone in the chook sheds and vegie patches of every Ukrainian resident in Ardeer, I was overwhelmed by the variety of things that were on offer at school. Paints, pencils, playdough, brightly coloured papers and scissors, clag and most excitingly BOOKS! Not just any books either; these were huge, big, bright and highly illustrated books.
I loved school instantly, and in particular I fell in love with the library. I recall slipping off to the library after school one day in Prep. This was not something I was encouraged to do, it was something I just chose to do, chose to do instead of walking home, which led to everyone to believe that I had been abducted. They found me some hours later thanks to a school cleaner that got a quite a start when she stumbled upon me sitting in a comfy beanbag reading Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar around 5pm. Well, it was a bloody good read, all those holes to poke your fingers into - riveting! It is still one of my favourite kids books and I can still get lost for hours with a good book in a beanbag, so nothing has changed there.
And I guess I still love a lot about school too, or I wouldn't still be in one. As a kid it was a place of routine, predictability and adults that actually wanted to talk you, it was a good place to be. And although not all of my school days were perfect, I do have some very fond memories of primary school, especially the first day back with perfect plaits, shiny shoes, new exercise books and super pointy grey lead HB pencils. Ah school days, some of us just never grow out of it!
UNDER THE SKIN
Release Date: 2013
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 108 mins
Jonathon Glazer, director of Sexy Beast and Birth delivers yet another thought provoking and mesmerising movie with his latest offering, Under the Skin. Based on Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name, this is unlike any other Sci-Fi that I have encountered; this is an intensely visceral and almost completely visually driven story line that had me literally perched on the edge of my seat.
A mysterious and other-worldly lady appears to be hunting the streets for potential male prey, however each encounter leads her to question her own motivations and eventually to seek out a deeper understanding of the world around her.
Scarlett Johansson is brilliant as the mostly silent and eerie mysterious woman; this is the grittiest and oddest thing that I have ever seen her do, and she really delivers well.
Overall, this is bold and beautiful film making, and for that reason it's not going to be everyone's cuppa tea. It's a slow burner, you'll be left with unanswered questions and haunted by some of the more confronting scenes; but in my mind it was a slice of Sci-Fi greatness.
FINAL SAY: Deep Under the Skin and into the mind.
4 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 2013
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 108 mins
Jonathon Glazer, director of Sexy Beast and Birth delivers yet another thought provoking and mesmerising movie with his latest offering, Under the Skin. Based on Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name, this is unlike any other Sci-Fi that I have encountered; this is an intensely visceral and almost completely visually driven story line that had me literally perched on the edge of my seat.
A mysterious and other-worldly lady appears to be hunting the streets for potential male prey, however each encounter leads her to question her own motivations and eventually to seek out a deeper understanding of the world around her.
Scarlett Johansson is brilliant as the mostly silent and eerie mysterious woman; this is the grittiest and oddest thing that I have ever seen her do, and she really delivers well.
Overall, this is bold and beautiful film making, and for that reason it's not going to be everyone's cuppa tea. It's a slow burner, you'll be left with unanswered questions and haunted by some of the more confronting scenes; but in my mind it was a slice of Sci-Fi greatness.
FINAL SAY: Deep Under the Skin and into the mind.
4 Chili Peppers
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