Make

December 6 – Make. 

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? 

(Author: Gretchen Rubin)

Now this is a simple reverb10 prompt for me. 2010 was the year of metal clay. This obscenely expensive hobby totally consumed me in mid-2010 when it was first brought to my attention. For those unacquainted with the art of metal clay, I can tell you that it essentially involves molding pieces from clay into desired shapes, drying them thoroughly and then firing them either in a kiln or on a gas stove top. 

Here's a rather rustic scrabble letter made for a good friend who happens to be a Scrabble whiz (on second thought, whiz may be an understatement!).

This piece was made for my Mum....just because....

I suppose I'm not being perfectly honest - this wasn't technically the last thing I've made. I've certainly baked and (tried to) sew since making these pieces. I say "tried to" sew because my last attempt at following a pattern resulted in a cross between a crop top and a moo-moo! For the record, it was meant to be a maxi dress. I'll let your imagination envisage this "wondrous" creation.

As for the second part of today's prompt: Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? That's equally easy to answer. I would love to get back into metal clay jewellery making. Now that my time is a little less occupied (to say the least!), I think it may be an opportune time to return to this very absorbing pastime. I might, however, need to do some fundraising first - a small packet of silver clay (enough for a couple of chunky rings and pairs of earrings) can set you back more than $100! However, I really shouldn't be thinking too much about costs - the personal value I gain through the creative process definitely outweighs the fiscal outlay. 

Let go

December 5 – Let go. 
What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
(Author: Alice Bradley)


Assumptions. That's right, I've stopped making assumptions. Stopped letting my overly imaginative brain immediately jump to future worst-case-scenario options and instead have endeavored to live in the moment.
While I am able sum this change up rather succinctly, I cannot begin to express how that this new way of thinking has lifted a very real cloak of anxiety from my shoulders.
For example, as trivial as it may sound, my particularly vocal feline, Pickle (pictured below) likes to "sing" in the early morning (I'm sure translated into English his so called singing would go something along the lines of: "Mummy/Daddy, get out of bed and feed me!"). Some of his *ahem* vocalisation occurs close to our front door - the one that leads into a communal foyer. For over a year, I remained what can only be described as paranoid that our neighbours would be in some way offended by the noise. Logically, this was a ridiculous assumption to make. Our walls are double brick and despite having Pavarotti-esque lung power, a cat can really only be so loud. Moreover, how many people would actually complain should they hear the occasional cat meowing when passing through a foyer? Irrespective of the rational side of my brain telling me I was crazy, I was nonetheless certain a resident was going to complain. The stress agitated me to the point that I had considered a number of contingency plans should grievances arise.
Early 2010 brought with it the realisation that this sort level anticipation was doing me no good at all. While I understand that some sort of realistic approach to planning for the future is required in life, there is no point agonising about the future and the myriad of directions in which it may take us. Anything can happen. Let go of assumptions and enjoy the moment!

Servery & Spoon

Where: Servery & Spoon (137-139 Waverley Road, Malvern East VIC 3145) 
What: Sunday breakfast
Rating: 11.5/20


My beloved and I have wandered past Servery & Spoon on a number of occasions. With it's funky décor (think mismatching furniture, piles of old books topped with jars of flowers and illuminated bird cages hanging from the ceiling) and rustic looking baked goods, we had been meaning to try the café for a number of months. 
We arrived to a packed venue - the trendies were out in force - and ordered coffees (two thumbs up to the barista). Breakfast was soon ordered - a mixed bag assortment of light breakky favourites for me (soft boiled egg, toast soldiers, vanilla Greek yoghurt topped with muesli and fresh fruit) and a breakfast tortilla for my beloved (scrambled eggs, bacon, rocket, aioli and avocado salsa). The latter was truly the highlight of the meal. Well seasoned, fresh and tasty.
Here it is:

While reasonable, my meal (below) could have been greatly ameliorated by a bit more thoughtfulness on the part of the chef. 

The egg was slightly overcooked, meaning any runny goodness was difficult to collect on my toast soldiers, which were sadly stone cold when the dish arrived. Moreover, seasonal fruit really should have been provided. Apples and oranges in December? Bland! The good news was that the yoghurt and cereal was really delicious - a creamy and nutty synergy. However, for a dish this simple, I feel it is essential for all elements to be perfect. 


Another disappointment was the fact that water was self serve and bottles/jugs weren't available at tables. I know, I know, I'm hard to please. I just like to be hydrated on a Sunday morning and prefer not to be leaping out of my seat every five minutes to refill the small glass provided from a communal "libation station".  


This place is quirky, funky and clearly loved by the locals. I would certainly return for a second try (based on the delicious burrito and excellent coffee), but hope some improvements are considered. 

Wonder

December 4 – Wonder. 
How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? 
(Author: Jeffrey Davis)


According to the good folk of Merriam Webster, wonder (wən-dər for those interested in phonetics) can be defined as "rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience". 
A new experience, eh?! I think I am open to and often awed by new experiences. Davis asks how did I cultivate a sense of wonder in my life this year? I would argue that by merely being open to new experiences, one essentially invites wonder their way - it's as simple as that. Wonder, for me at least, is not typically associated with momentous, life changing events, but more often, those ostensibly trivial  happenings astonish and amaze. Accordingly, I have decided that today's post is best expressed in bullet points. So, here goes - the following have made for a Wonder(full!) 2010:

• Watching my part of the world turn from yellow to green within the course of a year - the drought has broken - huzzah! 
• Learning to create jewellery from clay.
• An appreciation for some of the more...umm..."acquired" tastes on the planet - century egg anyone?
• My quadriceps (yes, they actually exist and decided to show themselves in late 2010).
• The realisation that baking is doable and, moreover, fun.
• My cheeky tabby realising that she can leap onto the top of the fridge (in a single bound) and take advantage of the heat escaping from the door seal. 
• Watching my Maine Coon chomp his way through chicken necks and other meaty bones much to his delight - he truly has jaws of a champion!
• Shocking myself by the pent up raw emotion that surfaced when my beloved Magpies won the AFL flag.

But most of all....
I am constantly awed, astonished and impressed by the brilliance, compassion and warmth of my wonderful friends and family. My eternal thanks to all of you! 

Change of scenery

A very irate Mike today insisted on a change of Blogger template. Apparently my dark grey/black text combo wasn't aesthetically pleasing. My sincere apologies - I hope this is more conducive to people's tastes!

Moment

So it appears that a time zone issue means that we're skipping the 2nd December reverb10 prompt. To be honest, that's okay by me. The prompt asked bloggers to think about the counter-constructive things we do in relation to our writing. I'm not sure I would have had much to say on that front, aside from a) I wish I had more time to write; and b) study renders the writing process somewhat painful. So enough from me about writing, and onto an exhilarating moment from 2010. 


December 3 – Moment.
Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). 
(Author: Ali Edwards)

If only I could isolate one moment during which I felt most alive. Instead, I've opted to describe a number of moments that have all involved cycling. Let's backtrack a little...

While my beloved has been cycling to work for quite some time, as of September 2010 I hadn't cycled for around three years.  A fit colleague who lives locally suggested I join her on her daily commute to work. I borrowed my beloved's bike and off we rode...but not without a few teething issues. You see, Mike's bike is equipped with a more contemporary version of these suckers - toe straps (of doom!):

I'm sure such cycling accessories are really useful for the more coordinated people in this world; however, for yours truly, they caused four encounters with unforgiving asphalt within an hour - the result of an inability to release my feet from the straps sufficiently quickly. This would happen at painfully amusing slow speeds, where little damage was done to my physical self, but a tad more to my ego (especially the incident in front of the packed bus stop!). Upon arrival at work, a screwdriver was immediately located and the offending straps removed. The ride home was fantastic and I decided then and there that I was going to purchase my own two-wheeler. *Cue entry: the Silver Sensation*.

I cannot explain how much I enjoy riding my new bike. There's such a feeling of exhilaration in powering up hills and enjoying the rewards of rolling down the other side. I feel greener and virtuous. Fitter and happier.  Bursting with fresh air and sunshine. Indeed, now that I think about it, there is, in fact, one moment, during which I felt most alive atop the Silver Sensation. It was during a charity ride along Melbourne's EastLink Freeway. Cars were blocked from entering the usually busy road and thousands of riders took to the tarmac. The ride itself was excellent and I must confess that I did enjoy powering past less fit participants. However, the ultimate "alive" moment occurred towards the event's conclusion, when we cycled into and out of the freeway tunnels (I knew that little computer on the bike would come in handy at some stage!). At this point, the digital display was showing a thrilling 56.5km/h (over 35 miles per hour for my American readers). The feeling was truly breathtaking. The world was whipping past much too quickly. My surrounds were a grey blur of concrete and shouts of elation bounced from wall to wall. It is at such intense speeds that the fragility of life - that delicate balance of risk and reward - flashes into one's mind. 
Brilliant. Alive.   

Reverb 10

Inspired by the very articulate Shauna, and knowing that it would get my posterior into blogging gear, I've decided to take part in Reverb 10 - an annual online event that involves reflecting on the year gone by and manifesting what's next. Each day I will be provided with a creative prompt, which, with some luck, will inspire some literary gold. 


So here goes:
December 1 – One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)


2010: Full
To say this year has been busy may be an understatement. I have changed jobs while studying two nights a week, as well as playing basketball a couple of times a week. I have taken up cycling and now try to ride to and from work once or twice per week. I have taught myself how to make metal clay jewelery and sew (apparently I'm not as much of a "natural" on the sewing front as I had hoped!). I have rekindled some special friendships with old pals from abroad, been a bridesmaid and eaten a few too many dinners out with friends. I have *tried* to keep the house clean and cook as much as possible. I have also tried to keep these guys happy...

...and somewhere amongst it all we also managed to sneak in a short holiday to tropical North Queensland.

Phew! Just writing all that down makes me feel exhausted. I am glad to be taking a break from my MBA studies over most of the Summer and will be sure to enjoy taking it easy for the coming months. While "busy" can be exciting and certainly makes the time pass quickly, 2010 didn't allow me sufficient time to enjoy the all important minutiae of life. That's where (I'm hoping!) 2011 comes in!

2011: Exploration
At least two months of 2011 are to be spent abroad and I truly cannot wait. The flavours, aromas, sites and sounds of the South Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Asia will all be experienced. Flights are booked, a car has been rented and hotel rooms/family and friends have been reserved/begged for some couch space. Moreover, some of the most lovely travel companions will be joining us for a very long overdue catch up. I couldn't be happier! 
When I use the term "exploration", I feel that this represents much more than a mere physical activity. I am a true believer that through travel our eyes are opened and the perception of our environment altered. Put far more articulately by Henry Miller, "one’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things".  
Here's to stopping to smell the flowers and appreciating the small things. May 2011 signal the end of subsisting at a frenetic pace and welcome living in the moment.