"I cannot begin to describe a day as wonderful as this"

Yesterday, with some money kindly gifted from my parents, my new coat, a warm hat and a pair of gloves, I made my way into the city to meet Michelle, and go with her to the Monet's Garden exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Me, outside the NGV

It was a blustery, freezing day, and I was glad of my extra layers. Mish forgot her gloves, and her hands ended up like small, oddly shaped ice-blocks (believe me, I felt them!). We met up at Nandos across from Federation Square, where she enjoyed a bite to eat. I ate before I went out, but I thought I would probably need something after the exhibition. We walked from Nandos to NGV, and I got a lovely surprise when I found out that I could pay a concession ticket to the exhibition, instead of an adult ticket. The perks of having a valid student card, eh?

The exhibition itself was absolutely mind-boggling, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation of impressionism. I have always preferred the works of Van Gogh to Monet, but seeing Monet's work in person was really something. 

I knew from a tiny unit on art (that I did long ago in my New Zealand primary school) that impressionist works look better from a distance. Up close they take on the look of a more abstract mix of brush strokes and colour. I didn't really believe the distance you viewed a picture could really change the look of it until I went to the Monet exhibition. Looking at the paintings up close, I simply felt like I was looking at a very large, vibrantly coloured, finger-painting. Particularly in the paintings where he used similar shades, or (one of his favourite motifs) reflections in water. Those particular pictures tended to all meld together as splotches of dull grey and green, with the occasional splash of bright colour seeming oddly out of place. However, when viewed from the other side of the room, the paintings showed their true glory, emerging as lake, rivers, trees, flowers, people, and a wonderful assortment of scenic landscapes. My particular favourite, which I have been unable to find a picture of, was part of a set of three. It was a painting Monet did of the waterlilies in his garden, with the sunset reflecting over the water. Up close, it looked like someone had been murdered, and bled all over the canvas, but when I viewed it from further back, it looked so real that I almost felt I was looking out a window.

Claude Monet - Waterlilies

This is an example of his work, not the one I mentioned above as a favourite.

Photography was banned in the exhibition (probably because the NGV want you to buy their miniscule, over-priced prints in the gift shop), but there was a large mural at the end of the exhibition. It was a photo of Monet's Garden in France, and you could take a picture of yourself standing in front of it to show you'd been to Monet's Garden. I took one for Mish, and then she snapped one for me.

Me, in 'Monet's Garden'

After being suitably wowed by Monet, Mish and I got a train to Flagstaff, so I could go to a bakery nearby for lunch. Laurent's is a lovely, French styled bakery in the city, on William Street, and I'm a sucker for their pies. I treated myself to a beef and burgundy masterpiece, while Mish sipped a latte. I had my water, so I didn't spend extra on anything to drink.

After that, we headed back to Flagstaff and parted ways. The government's funded some works on the Sunbury line (the train line I use), so I had to get a special express to Flemington Racecourse, then a bus to Albion, and then back on the train to take me home. It's a pain in the neck, but it'll be finished before too long, and it's better that they do the works now, during the holidays, than during the school term, when the trains are full of students. The railways are slightly quieter now, while the students are off school.

Well, I suppose I better go and do something productive with my afternoon. I can't sit around blogging all day.

Until next time!

~ Australian Kiwi

This is Life in Colour

Sometimes, in life, you surprise yourself. You do something you never thought you could do, and you do it well. I've had one of those moments. Last Friday (26/06/13) I completed my Certificate III in Children's Services, which is an entry level qualification into the children's services industry. It's taken my a long time to get here, and there's been several hurdles along the way. I was close to giving up dozens of times, and I suffered from prolonged periods of self-doubt and constantly asked myself 'Is that right for me?' After finishing my course, I'm still not sure about the last question, but I'll find out when I hit the big, wide world of children's services.

I heard the song 'Life in Colour' by OneRepublic the week I finished my course, and felt it described perfectly how I was feeling and what lay ahead. I've included a YouTube clip of the studio version (my favourite version) with lyrics. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have lately.

In other news, I've been busy as a bee, helping my parents plan their 25th wedding anniversary. They're arranging to renew their wedding vows, and we had the celebrant over last Sunday to discuss the ceremony and how everything's going to go. I'm doing a reading, and also saying a short speech. My dad's parents are coming over from New Zealand for the anniversary, and his brother and his brother's partner are coming across from Adelaide. My mum's sister and her children are coming as well, but they already live in Melbourne, so they're not travelling far. For my reading, I wrote a triolet called 'Perhaps in Heaven', which I've included below.

Perhaps in Heaven

Perhaps in heaven, love comes first

But I’ve found true love here on earth

And into it I plunged headfirst

Perhaps in heaven, love comes first

But if ever I’m at my worst

Remind me, dear, for what it’s worth

Perhaps in heaven, love comes first

But I’ve found true love here on earth

My parents really are soul mates, and have been very happily married for twenty-five years. They really embody the spirit of unity, and I hope and pray that they have many more happy years before them. I also hope that, one day, I'll find someone who I want to share my life with, and who wants me to share theirs. But, for now, I'm happy just sorting myself out, and celebrating my parents' wonderful milestone.

Last weekend, I caught up with my friend Michelle, who just got back from a six month student exchange in Sweden. She's become quite adventurous since going overseas, and has really grasped the idea that life is short, so you have to seize the day. We went out for hot chocolate at the Lindt cafe in Melbourne, and then to lunch in a tiny, cramped nook near Flinders Street Station which, truth be told, was absolutely marvelous. We then caught a tram to Docklands, and I took photographs of her while she had a go at ice skating. She told me that she had a go at ice skating on a frozen over pond in Sweden, and was keen to give it another try. I've done a little bit of skating, and it's not something I really enjoy, so I was happy to play photographer and stay off the ice.

I was very impressed by her skills, as Mish was quite a natural on the ice. When I went ice skating, I spend the whole time hanging onto the side of the rink, while my feet slipped and slid under me like I was on wheels. It was awful! Mish, on the other hand, glided around like Swan Lake on Ice (which I went to see once, and it was fantastic). After ice skating, I brought a coat in my favourite shade of blue which I'd seen on the way to the rink, and then we caught a tram back to Flinders Street and parted ways.

I'll be seeing Mish again sometime next week, as we're going to the Monet's Garden exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria some time. I'm not sure when yet, but my parents have been kind enough to pay for my ticket. The price was very reasonable, since we'll be viewing Monet, who is acknowledged as a master, but I'm absolutely down to the wire with finances at the moment, and wouldn't have been able to go if my parents hadn't paid for me. 

To finish this blog post, here is a lovely video of two babies playing with rubber bands. It doesn't take much to entertain a baby, as they are learning how the world works, and the simplest things excite them. You can have the most expensive, amazing, up-to-date, plastic-fantastic toys, but, at the end of the day, a baby is more likely to be interested in the world around them (and you!) than any toy.

Well, that's all from me for now. I'll blog again after I've been to Monet, and let you know what it was like, and if it's worth going to if you're in Melbourne. 

Until then!

~ Australian Kiwi

Puff, Pant, and Work Your Heart Out!

In case you didn't guess from the title of this post, it's about... (drum roll please)... EXERCISE!

(Oh, come on, stop groaning)

I've had a pretty intense two days exercise wise so far, and I've found a new, slightly longer training route for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

While I'm on holiday, and have a lot of free time up my sleeve, I've started planning out my days. Sometimes, I find that time slips away on me when I've got too much of it, and I waste it doing frivolous things. My timetable is flexible, for if something unexpected pops up and I have to reschedule, but I try to stick to it as best I can.

Yesterday I got back into regular exercise, and I hit the gym for an intense forty-five minute cardio workout, courtesy of Les Mills SH'BAM. I've wanted to try out a SH'BAM class for ages, but haven't had the time, so yesterday seemed like too good an opportunity to miss to try it.

For those who don't know, SH'BAM is a dance-based cardio workout, and it's the most fun I've ever had doing exercise. The warm-up, the cool-down, and everything in between is dance. We do everything from hip-hop, to contemporary, to jazz ballet, and it's one hell of a workout. 

Now, I confess, I'm not a good dancer, I don't have much of a sense of rhythm. The class yesterday was small (only about six or seven people, because it's school holidays), and I took a spot up the front so I could see the instructor. For the few few tracks I felt like an elephant in a ballet studio, trying to get into the swing of things. The instructor kept saying 'less aerobics, more dance!', and I found it hard to get 'dancing' when I was supposed to be exercising. By the third or fourth track, though, I was starting to get into it and enjoy the class. I still had trouble with some of the moves, but I was less worried about that. It's not often I really get to let my hair down, and yesterday was definitely one of those times where I just let loose.

I would recommend SH'BAM to anyone wanting a fun, cardio-based workout. Don't worry if you can't dance, just go with it and, as the instructor said yesterday, 'feel the beat!'

I got home from SH'BAM and had some lunch, before having a shower and a nap. When I woke up, do you think I decided to sit down a relax? Of course not! I got on my cycling gear and headed out on a new, longer training ride for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. 

My original ride was only just 4.0kms, and it was flat most of the way, with only one hill. This new route is 5.2kms, and has a mixture of flat and hills. Some of them are really subtle slopes too, which you don't realize you're riding up until you're half-way up and you have to change gears to keep going. I suspect I'll be dealing with a fair few of those when I do the Ride in October. Also, my new route goes in a circle  it starts and ends at my house, where I actually had to turn around with my old route and go back the way I came to get back home again.

My new training route; 5.2kms

There's footpath the whole way, which is good, although parts of it are in very poor repair. It's not really a problem for me on my bike, but runners and power-walkers had better beware. Someone I know recently tripped on uneven footpath and ended up with nasty cuts and bruises to their face. They had  horrible scab on their chin for weeks, and a scar is still visible on their nose where their glasses cut into it.

I went for another bike ride this morning, going the same route. I forgot to lower my gear from yesterday, and accidentally did the ride in third, rather than fourth, gear. This is interesting, as I found today's ride, along the same route in a lower gear, harder than yesterday. Perhaps simply because I'm more tired after my intense day yesterday.

As always, donations for my ride are much appreciated. Chip in here, and your contribution will immediately benefit Peter Mac. 

Well, I'm off to have some lunch, and then I'm off to try on costumes for my fairytale and fantasy themed birthday party coming up soon.

~ Australian Kiwi

My Early Training Route

My first training route for The Ride; Distance = 4.1km

I went for another bike ride today, training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer in October. I took the same route as I did on my first bike ride, but, today, I measured the distance and took note of my speed. 

The route is about 4.1km long, according to the odometer on my bike, so it's not a very long ride, but it's a start. I ride from my house to the closest local shopping centre and back again, and round trip between between ten and fifteen minutes. I'm starting to get into practice using my gears again, as I haven't really touched my gears for a long time. When October rolls around, I will need to be proficient at changing gears quickly and easily, and preferably without looking at the gears themselves. Of course, the gears on my road bike will be different to the gears I have on my mountain bike, which is the bike I'm currently riding. I don't have a road bike yet, but my parents are going to get me one for The Ride.

I tried to keep my speed at around 13-15km/ph. On the Port2Port, a 400k bike ride, riders tried to keep at around 15-20km/ph, so I'm guessing it will be similar on The Ride. Again, I'm just building up at the moment, but I managed to keep between 11-13km/ph on this ride, including up the hill. I think that's a good achievement. 

The training route has one quite large hill, which is quite good for helping me learn to use my gears again. It's nice, not having to strain as hard to get uphill as I have in the past when I haven't used my gears. As this route gets too easy, I'll look for a longer route, although I don't want to bite off more than I can chew yet, I'll build up slowly.

As always, if you want to donate to my Ride, you can do so here.

~ Australian Kiwi

Regrets

It happens to all of us once in a while, we wake up one morning and regret crashes down on our shoulders. Regret, because we let ourselves be talked into something we'd already said we didn't want to do, and now we're trapped.

I had one of those mornings just recently, after placement finished. I woke up on Good Friday morning, (well, Good Friday afternoon, really, because I slept in and didn't get up until midday) and regret wrapped its noose around my neck. Why had I gone back to childcare, when I already knew I didn't enjoy working with certain age groups? Why hadn't I stuck with my original plans and done a creative writing course this year, and looked at doing either a BA or Bachelor of Communication next year? Why?

The answer, I believe, is because I'm desperate to please the people I love. While no one forced me to study childcare, a person I care very deeply about made it quite clear to me that they didn't think I should be studying creative writing. This hurt me deeply, as this person has always said they want me to do what makes me happy, and I felt I already knew that, while I enjoyed the theory of childcare, working with children didn't make me happy. Don't get me wrong, I love children, and I enjoy working one-on-one with young children, but supervising a large group of 15-20 children day-in, day-out... not my cup of tea.

I have to be honest and say that I regret listening to this person, and I regret changing my mind and doing what they wanted me to do. 

I love studying children's development, which is a major part of my theoretical studies, but the practice of looking after them is draining, tiring, and thankless. People say its a rewarding job, looking after little ones, but I was sick and tired of all but one of them by the end of my placement. There was no reward, just drudgery. Not that I would have hurt the children, or done anything to compromise their safety, but I don't want to work in an environment I don't like, and where I'm not giving 100%.

OK, so, that's my little rant. I wish I'd gone down a different path and left childcare in the past. There's no point dropping out now, however, as I won't get into any other courses until midyear at the earliest. So, I'll finish my cert, but I don't think I'll go on and do my diploma of children's services midyear. 

~ Australian Kiwi

Twenty Years Living

Yesterday (09/03/2013) I said farewell to my pre-adult years and the joys of teen-hood, and celebrated my twentieth birthday.

I raked in a good haul, receiving from my sister the book Ransom by David Malouf, and a beautiful Birthday Girl champagne flute from my parents. My aunt gave me money towards a pair of bike shorts for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, and my friend over in Sweden sent me two Swedish shot glasses to add to my collection.

I was lucky enough to get birthday brunch and birthday dinner, as my sister had to work last night, and couldn't be at the dinner. We went for brunch at Theobrama Chocolate Lounge in Melbourne Central, and, while everyone else helped themselves to second breakfast and chocolate drinks, I went all out for the chocolate. I had a dark chocolate frappe with whipped cream, and a croissant drizzled in molten chocolate, with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream on the side.

In fact, I had a lot of chocolate yesterday but, it was my birthday, so, why not?

Birthday dinner with my parents and my aunt was a lovely affair. We had before dinner nibbles alfresco style, as it was cooler outside than in. We had a mixture of sweet and savory nibbles, with chips, bagettes, breadsticks and dips, along with licorice bullets, dark chocolate and party mix, gracing the table. Dinner, cooked by my wonderful mother, consisted of a main dish of chicken in a rich mushroom sauce, with two sides: homemade semi-dried tomatoes, and fresh asparagus in a seeded mustard dressing. Then, for desert, there was, of course, birthday cake, but also homemade chocolate truffles and peppermint cremes.

Facebook proved the place to be for birthday wishes, with my family and friends all over the world stopping by my wall to write a birthday message. I received wishes from Australia, New Zealand, and even Sweden!

So, twenty, what does it even mean?

It was my first birthday back in Melbourne, and I'm taking the fact that it went so well as a good omen for the rest of my year. A lot of good things have happened to me around this time, and I had a look at my astrological yearly forecast I had done at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival last year. According to the forecast, at about this time, things swill start to fall into place for me, and difficult tasks do not seen as daunting as they usually would. The interesting thing is, I start placement on Tuesday next week, and have a lot of work to get through. Normally, the thought of interacting with children and having to take observations, organize activities etc. would terrify me, but I've been no more flustered by this than I would be by a feather floating past my ear. Actually I'm really looking forward to placement, and I'm seeking it, not as a difficult task, but as a fantastic experience in my industry.

I also managed to tick something off on my bucket list recently! I have just started lessons with my very first ESL student. We met last Wednesday, and got on like a house on fire. We'll meet weekly for as long as she likes, which could be a month, or we could be seeing each other for years!

So, I look at twenty as the beginning of something good, something powerful and special. After all, you only live once.

~ Australian Kiwi

Training: Day One

No stalling, no waiting, no 'let's do it later', I started training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer today!

My dad decided to train with me, even though he's not going to ride. He is coming, however, as part of the support crew for The Ride. Both of us were support crew for the WHK Team on the Port-2-Port last year, so he's a seasoned professional when it comes to cycling support.

I haven't found out about the bike paths close to home yet, as I've been quite busy with other preparation, so dad and I hit the gym this afternoon and did half-an-hour each on an exercise bike.

I know that riding on an exercise bike is very different to riding on a push bike, but it's cardio training, which is a good start. I think I had a bit of an easy workout today, so I'll push myself harder when I go back tomorrow. I did a manual workout, which is fine if you just want some cardio on a bike, but I'm training for a road bike event, so I needed intervals, which I didn't think about until later. I rode at level five, when I probably should have been riding anywhere between eight and ten, and after my half hour, I certainly felt like I could have done more. I'll be interested to see how my legs feel tomorrow, as they're not too tired at the moment, nor do they feel particularly rubbery, which is a sure sign that I didn't push myself hard enough.

Training Stats

Date: 24/02/13

Time taken: 30mins

Workout type: Manual

Distance: 14.05km

Level: 5

Goal: To be able to cycle 30kms without stopping. 

~ Australian Kiwi

P.S. Your donations will keep me riding, and help Peter Mac continue their life-saving research and treatment of cancer. Click here to help out.